County-wide upgrade of street lighting lays ground for street level communications hubs
Gloucestershire County Council has begun an upgrade of its street lighting using technology that will also provide an infrastructure for a network of internet of things (IoT) applications.
Under a deal with civil engineering firm Skanska, it is replacing its 55,000 sodium lights with LED lights, which use up to 70% less energy and are forecast to provide savings of approximately £17 million over 12 years.
They are connected through a low power ultra narrow band (UNB) network and controlled through the PLANet central management system, from smart city applications provider Telensa. It involves the use of telecells plugged into each streetlight, which connect to a cloud based control application via base stations mounted on a small number of the lights.
This will enable the council to closely control the lighting, including varying the level of light to suit changing needs, and to respond quickly to faults that are reported automatically.
IoT potential
Telensa said it is also possible to add IoT applications such as sensors to the lights without much extra cost, making it possible to use them for purposes such as traffic monitoring, smart parking and integrating lighting based analytics with other systems.
“Wireless controls and LED street lights are fast becoming the standard combination because together they deliver the maximum energy and cost savings,” said Will Gibson, chief executive officer of Telensa. “But more importantly, wireless control enables forward looking authorities like Gloucestershire to adjust local lighting levels over time to meet changing needs, future proofing the LED investment.”
Image by CL, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
