By converting to smart LED street lights, cities can save costs immediately. LEDs consume much less energy, and smart lights optimize their efficiency by recognizing environmental conditions and adjusting energy consumption accordingly.
Smart street lights can surpass basic lighting functions and become a source of new income. Cities can rent out various functions (such as digital advertising or Wi-Fi* hotspots) to various companies and organizations. Savings and income opportunities include:
• Reduce energy costs. Compared with simple LED lamps, smart lighting with optimized dimming, on/off programming or action activation can save more costs.
• Optimized maintenance. For municipalities and public utilities, street lights are expensive to maintain, and elevator equipment is required in many places. Maintenance personnel usually have to interrupt traffic or stop to access the lights. With the help of smart street lights, cities can use the collected data to predict lamp failures, such as the hours of lamp operation and the status of the lamps. Motion sensors and cameras can also provide information about the best time to schedule maintenance.
• Increase income opportunities. With add-ons such as digital signage, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other features, entities can increase revenue opportunities. In essence, street lights and telephone poles are becoming more and more like self-financing real estate.
• Use existing infrastructure. Smart street lights can be installed on existing telephone poles, saving money is as simple as replacing lights, and without new investment in infrastructure, services in the old city can become the backbone.
• Edge analysis. For example, real-time information can remind emergency personnel to respond faster. IP cameras can stream images when an incident occurs, reducing the need for manual inspections afterwards. With certain solutions, edge analysis can detect anomalies and only transmit relevant information to speed up response and reduce costs.
• Improve citizen satisfaction. Through improved traffic flow, safer crosswalks, environmental monitoring and weather warnings and other solutions, the livability of the city has been greatly improved and citizens are safer and happier. Whether it is a city or a utility provider (regardless of which entity owns a physical pole), they are in a unique position and can add value through additional smart street light functions.
