StreetLightNews

Japanese company Sharp is now launching a solar-powered streetlight. Combining Sharp’s own solar modules and long-life, white LEDs, the Japanese company presents the environmentally friendly streetlight solution of the 21st century. The unit delivers brightness at the highest level; still the unit does not produce any light pollution, uses no mercury, and emits no ultraviolet light.

Storage batteries charge from sunlight during the day and shines automatically at night. The level of maintenance is minimal as Sharp’s solution only requires replacement once every 10 years.

One of the extra benefits that especially cities in earthquake zones will enjoy is the built-in seismic motion sensor. This feature enables the unit to detect any earthquake measuring five or higher on the Japanese Seismic Intensity Scale. When detected, the unit will turn on full brightness at nighttime hours for at least two days.

Initially, the solution will be available on the Japanese market. In Europe, the European Union applaudes companies who commit to the reudction of light pollution. Thus, the EU GreenLight Programme has been developed to involve public and private organisations in upgrading their lighting systems to reduce light pollution. Well-known B2C companies such as McDonald’s and Nike have been awarded partner status, while international operating B2B companies such as Amplex A/S and Reverberi Enetec are awarded the endorser status.

A recent article in Washington Post describes how streetlights are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. The newspaper quotes Robert Grow, director of government relations at the Greater Washington Board of Trade, for estimating an annual reduction of 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions if the 10 largest metropolitan areas of the US switch to a centralized solution and LED streetlights. This is equivalent to taking 212,000 cars off the roads and save an additional 90 million taxpayer dollars annually.

In his report on streetlight savings, Grow recommends a centrally controlled streetlight solution with dimming and optimized maintenance functionalities.

According to the Post, Grow was surprised that more hasn’t been done already to improve the efficieincy of streetlight.

As previously described in this blog, the most efforts have been made in the town of Ann arbor, Mich. where all streetlights have been converted to LEDs.

Centralized streetlight solutions are offered by companies such as US-based Echelon with installations in e.g. Oslo, Norway, and Danish company Amplex with installations in e.g. Scandinavia, the United Arab Emirates and Asia.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, city officials are experimenting with LEDs for streetlight.

The US company Relume Technologies has provided 12 LEDs for a pilot project which will cut a significant part of the consumption and maintenance bills.

Other North American cities to test LEDs for streetlight are Ann Arbor, Raleigh, N.C. and Toronto, Canada.

See more at the Grand Rapids Press. 

Wouldn’t it be brilliant if cities and towns did not have to rely on residents to report street light outages? Typing ‘street light’ into a search engine provides hundreds of hits on cities urging their inhabitants to report any outages. Some even offer coloured ribbons which can be tied around the poles in order to help maintenance crews locate them.

Several companies offer solutions which can improve maintenance procedures and increase control with the street lights: Amplex, Cristal Control and Streetlight.Vision.

BBC News is reporting that more than 15,000 street light columns, or over 85% of the stock, will be replaced in Redcar and Cleveland, UK. The existing columns have passed their 25-year life expectancy, and another 2,500 street lights will be added over the next few years in order to raise the standard of the cities’ public lighting. It has been established that the distance between the existing lights is too large, so the additional 2,500 street lights will ensure better lid roads and improve safety for both motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Replacing standard street light with new high output LEDs will save 50% energy and they will last more than 10 years. They are maintenance-free, contain no hazardous material such as gases or mercury, and they are dark sky compliant, meaning that their light is focused on the area where it is needed, and not wasted into the night sky.
At the upcoming American Public Works Association event in San Antonio, September 9-12, these new LEDs will be showcased by the company inventing the new effective street light - IntenCity Ligthing.
The new high output LED uses only 75 watts, but produces 3200 lumens. See more here…

The Danish company, Amplex, has released a report stating that savings of 25-30% have been achieved by centralizing street light control in a major Turkish city.
The report describes a pilot project where modules are installed in five control cabinets at representative locations in the city. Parts of the savings come from centralizing control, but the most significant savings are generated through dimming at off-peak hours. Two dim levels were established, and the lights went back full on early in the morning.
Even though the pilot showed savings of up to 32%, Amplex expects the savings to be even bigger when burn hours are optimized and when dimming is set earlier in e.g. industrial areas and on weekends. Additionally, savings are expected on maintenance and proactive bulb change. Based on the indications from the pilot, a very low ROI of 1-2 years can be expected.
Read the full executive report here…

In Wycombe, UK, it seems that the district council is having problems controlling the street light. According to the local newspaper, angry residents complain that a particular street light has been left on all day for more than five weeks, in spite of complaints from locals. A while ago, the same area had problems getting a broken light fixed, this took more than three weeks.
These cases often occur in areas where different authorities are responsible for different parts of the street light. Disagreements occur when responsiblity has to be appointed. Having a centralized control system would elimate such disputes, and could provide precise reports on the state of the street lights for the entire area.

Ladera Ranch residents in California have their work cut out for them. According to the Orange County Register, the maintenance department has enacted a street light outage reporting program partially based on citizen surveillance. When residents discover a mal-functioning street light, they can call a toll-free number and give the location of the particular pole. In order to help the maintenance crew locate the faulty pole, the maintenance department is offering red ribbons for the residents to tie around the poles. The fault will then be repaired within 5-10 business days…