LEDs light world’s largest cricket stadium
Even in the IoT era of today, illumination can be the only thing that matters. This is the situation at the largest cricket stadium in the world, located in Ahmedabad, India, where Signify has donated 580 rooftop luminaires to facilitate high-definition transmission and nighttime action.
The brand-new, 110,000-seat Sardar Patel Stadium, also known as Motera Stadium after the area where the stadium is located in Ahmedabad, the western state of Gujarat's major city, will have its lights operational for games later this year.
As a subcontractor to Mumbai-based construction company Larsen & Toubro, Signify finished the installation in January. The grounds for the Gujarat Cricket Association were constructed by Larsen & Toubro in place of the previous Motera Stadium, which was lighted by metal halides and was destroyed in 2015.
According to Sumit Padmakar Joshi, market leader for Signify's operations in India, the illumination makes the stadium the first cricket venue in the country to exceed broadcasting requirements established by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The sport's world governing body is the ICC, which is situated in Dubai.
In addition, he added, "it will assist the stadium in meeting its ethical and environmental objectives, enabling durability via longevity and greatly lowering maintenance costs.
Signify declined to disclose the price of the lighting.
Don't expect any of the fancy color- and scene-changing LED lighting that frequently goes along with current stadium lighting projects, such at Toyota Stadium in Japan, which is also illuminated by Signify, even though Philips ArenaVision floodlights will illuminate the pitch.
Such venues generally feature centrally-controlled LED scenes for exterior façade lighting, as well as Internet-connected controls networking technologies to enhance the fan experience (Signify sells a product called Interact Sports for such reasons).
According to a representative for Signify, the Motera lighting system is only intended for field illumination. The representative made no more comments. Without employing the robotic carts it has occasionally used, such as at Toyota and Japan's Kobe Stadium, Signify was able to install and place the ArenaVision luminaires.
Instead of using Power over Ethernet, which is becoming more and more popular as a data and electricity conduit for some lighting projects, the stadium lights are powered by conventional electrical wiring.
Two cricket grounds, a cricket academy, an Olympic-sized pool, a gym, and 75 corporate boxes are among the Motera features.
Last month, the stadium played host to the Namaste, Trump (Welcome, Trump) gathering honoring both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
