Having a communications network running a smart street lighting scheme means there is no underlying cost for additional smart city schemes. As a result, building more innovative smart city projects becomes more realistic.
When exploring urban transformation, a key element of the emerging IoT landscape that is often overlooked is smart street lighting. Such lights can be used for more than just lighting, they also provide a gateway to innovative IoT deployments that will redefine urban living.
For cities looking to create entry-level programs, smart streetlights can serve as the “foundation” for other large-scale, secure outdoor communications networks and other IoT initiatives. From Paris to Chicago, from Singapore to Miami, smart street lighting projects have been deployed in cities around the world. Smart streetlights can become the backbone of smart cities, and this article explores how municipalities can use this technology to achieve broader smart city success beyond lighting systems.
　　The lights "glow" up
Global organizations unanimously designate IoT as a key IT priority. In particular, smart street lighting has become a cornerstone, laying the foundation for wider IoT applications in cities. This surge is not just speculative. According to research by Wi-SUN Alliance, the adoption rate of street lighting IoT use cases expanded from 61% to 72% between 2017 and 2022, showing an undeniable upward trend.
　　Driving sustainability with smart street lighting
These lights are more than just an "on/off" solution. They enhance energy management and enable cities to optimize electricity consumption while enhancing public safety.
What's more, if cities adopt the right technology stack for their street lighting programs, the networks they operate on will become powerful outdoor wireless communications networks that can support even more transformative smart city projects. This facilitates seamless deployment of a variety of IoT applications, from monitoring environmental indicators to integrating smart traffic sensors.
Once established, the network allows a range of applications to share communications infrastructure, optimizing costs and creating an efficient IoT ecosystem. As cities gradually adopt IoT initiatives such as street lighting, they not only enhance urban functionality but also create a greener, safer environment that is attractive to potential residents. And, as smart city initiatives improve the quality of life for residents, economic development is also growing by leaps and bounds.
　　A Glimpse of the World: City of London
For tangible evidence of this transformative potential, look no further than the historic City of London. In an effort to control soaring energy bills and promote public safety, the city overhauled its outdated lighting system. This required retrofitting approximately 12,000 lights across streets, sidewalks, landmarks, bridges and tunnels.
The impact of this nascent project is already visible, with savings of approximately 80,000 kWh by 2022. What’s even more interesting is that this unique initiative to upgrade streetlights snowballed into a wider range of smart features. The city has now laid the foundations for smart features such as monitoring the Thames’ life zone, integrating environmental sensors and piloting zero-emission schemes. This demonstrates the huge potential of using multifunctional streetlights to unlock the journey to smart cities.
　　Economics and Ecology: A Double Benefit
As with any urban project, cost-effectiveness is crucial. Utilities and governments must make strategic investments in smart utility projects; through pilot initiatives and targeted funding, these entities can drive the IoT revolution forward.
A decade ago, when interest in smart streetlights first filtered through, estimates were that streetlights tended to be one of the top two energy needs within cities, accounting for 25% to 50% of a city's entire energy bill. The transition to connected streetlights changes that. Smart street lighting systems not only increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption, but their lifetime also minimizes maintenance costs, proving their long-term cost-effectiveness.
　　light the way forward
Building more innovative smart city initiatives becomes more realistic when we consider that the communications network running the smart streetlight initiative means that additional smart city initiatives do not have underlying costs.
In the United States, $600 million has been injected into smart city-related projects through the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which means that the case for transforming to smart cities through connected streetlights is compelling from both an ecological and economic perspective. Our choices now must be about using our resources wisely and working towards greener, safer and more efficient urban spaces. Smart street lights are more than just an entry point, they are a beacon for the sustainable transformation of future cities.