Mike Holt on saving energy costs with gridComm by converting cities to smart street lamp networks

TL;DR

Smart street lighting and predictive maintenance help cities save money by setting optimal dimming levels and predicting when streetlights will fail for efficient repair scheduling.

Transcript

cities use about forty percent of their electricity budget to light the streets so it's a big deal millions of dollars a typical a typical city hundred thousand streetlights spends about 2 million dollars a month to light the streets so it's a big number and if you can control that intelligently you can save a lot of money and the way you control i... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌆 Smart street lighting can help cities save a significant amount of money by setting optimal dimming levels based on timing and ambient light.
• 👻 Predictive maintenance for streetlights allows cities to schedule repairs in advance, resulting in more efficient operations.
• 🏙️ The infrastructure for smart street lighting can be utilized for other IoT applications, expanding the capabilities and benefits for cities.
• 📱 Smart street lighting improves energy efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions.
• 🏙️ Real-time monitoring and analytics enable cities to make data-driven decisions and optimize street lighting operations.
• ☠️ Smart street lighting can contribute to safer cities by combining analytics of crime and accident rates with dimming level adjustments.
• 📱 The smart street lighting control system includes smartphone integration for repair notifications and registration of new streetlights.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can smart street lighting help cities save money?

Smart street lighting allows cities to set optimal dimming levels based on timing and ambient light, resulting in significant cost savings on electricity bills.

Q: How does predictive maintenance for streetlights work?

By monitoring vital signs like voltage, current, and burn hours in real-time, cities can predict when a streetlight will fail. Good analytics enable smarter predictions and scheduling of repairs.

Q: Can smart street lighting infrastructure be used for other IoT applications?

Yes, the infrastructure for smart street lighting can be utilized for various applications, such as parking monitoring. It allows for sensor connectivity and data collection.

Q: How does the control of smart street lighting work?

The YEP Controller OX is a module that is installed in every streetlight. It communicates data over power lines, adapting to changes in noise conditions. The streetlights are connected in a network, which can be controlled through software in a city command center.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Cities spend approximately 40% of their electricity budget on street lighting, which can amount to millions of dollars per month. Smart street lighting, with optimal dimming levels based on timing and ambient light, can lead to significant cost savings.

• Predictive maintenance for streetlights is more efficient than the traditional reactive approach. By monitoring vital signs and analyzing data in real-time, cities can predict when a streetlight will fail and schedule repairs in advance.

• The infrastructure for installing smart street lighting systems also allows for the installation of various other IoT applications, such as parking monitoring and sensor connectivity.