Public street lighting is an area of intervention that concerns every city, regardless of its size or layout. For some time, however, the concept of lighting has gone beyond the simple function of ensuring available light in roads and public spaces during nighttime hours. New enabling technologies are driving a transformation that aims to make urban centres safer and more liveable, sustainable and, of course, more efficient.

A streetlight today can house sensors for collecting data on air quality or traffic and therefore directly offer additional services. In other cases, the advantages of good lighting derive indirectly from the widespread presence of the lighting units. Such as, for example, increased safety, simply due to the presence of lighting but also facilitated by the introduction of additional features in the luminaires.

A well-lit city is also a safer city. Lighting can change the way a place is perceived and influence the way it is used and people’s habits. The correct level of lighting and distancing of lighting units can discourage criminal acts and increase the sense of safety of people passing by. Likewise, better visibility on well-lit roads reduces the risk of accidents.

More light does not necessarily mean more pollution

Ensuring proper urban lighting levels does not necessarily mean more pollution. Smart lighting projects start with a general upgrading of the light fittings, through installation of new energy-efficient LED lamps. The aim is to ensure the presence of light non just in the right place but also at the right time. It also helps to reduce waste while providing light according to actual needs.

The relationship between public street lighting and safety is not just about the widespread distribution of lighting in public spaces and roads.

Thanks to technology, lighting has evolved and become smart. This means that a lighting unit now becomes an interconnected point on a wide network, able to collect and exchange data and information. The functions they can perform are varied and, thanks to sensor technology and IoT, they can transmit data on traffic monitoring and video surveillance systems as well as send alarm signals and much more.

The lighting network becomes a true digital network, within which smart streetlights become a hub for the redesign of urban and local area policies from a smart perspective.

Public lighting, in order to become smart, requires the implementation and installation of special technologies, mainly related to the Internet of Things. Thanks to the advent of the IoT, all kinds of objects can now be connected online, expanding the range of features offered and increasing the level of control and monitoring of the connected devices.

For public lighting, the focus of intervention is the streetlight, which is transformed from being a traditional lighting unit into a node in a connected network with widespread coverage of the entire area. It is not just about light; it is also about urban safety, monitoring, information sharing and much more. A smart streetlight can truly fulfil multiple functions.

Before going further, it is worth pointing out that the guiding technology of an energy-efficient smart lighting system is, without doubt, the LED light. In addition, there are new technologies like the Internet of Things and sensor systems, which allow the implementation of features such as the connection of streetlights in a network, monitoring of the network from a central control point, remote verification of the correct functioning of each lighting unit and analysis of all collected data.

It also leads to new management models, as in the case of adaptive lighting, which discards on-off mechanisms based on time periods in favour of a system that changes over time, e.g., in relation to the actual level of light measured or the traffic and pedestrian conditions. All this helps to reduce energy consumption.

Public street lighting is, at present, a significant item of expenditure in the energy budget of cities: according to the European Commission, it absorbs more than 20% of the average municipal budget. This cost is partly explained by the use of outdated and often antiquated systems and technologies. Inefficiency is a source of enormous energy wastage. The replacement of light fittings with LED lamps, for example, can already halve consumption.

Sensors and IoT also enable further cost reductions through better management of the lighting unit, by making the lighting more consistent with the actual needs detected and making system maintenance more efficient. Adjusting the light exclusively in relation to lighting needs helps to reduce waste, with no loss of maximum performance. Special software manages and processes the information, and sends the resulting inputs to the various lighting units. In addition, remote control and monitoring of the correct functioning of each unit allows malfunctions and failures to be detected quickly.

Apart from greater safety, smart lighting has a positive impact on energy savings, which can be as much as 70% compared to older systems.