How Smart Street Lights Can Help Cities Achieve Sustainability Goals

According to an article in Cities Today, smart street lighting technology could help cities reduce their carbon emissions and adjust urban lighting to limit disruption to local ecosystems and human circadian rhythms.

Street lighting is one of the largest sources of energy consumption and emissions under the direct control of cities: public street and area lighting account for up to 40 percent of electricity consumed by municipalities, and for about 1-3 percent of total electricity demand, as reported by The Climate Group.

Smart streetlight management can add another tool to local governments’ toolboxes, the article notes. “The first step is turning streetlights to energy-efficient LED lamps, immediately saving up to 70 percent in power consumption and related costs.” 

By using technology to manage when lighting turns on and off and how much energy it uses, cities can save even more. According to the article, “Remote on-off control, dimming, and scheduling functions are quick wins of IoT street lighting solutions, making them one of the most actionable and ready-to-implement technologies for cities to transition to a low-carbon economy.”