Intelligent street lighting and smart cities

Widespread and efficient street lighting is among the elements that set the modern metropolis apart from cities through all of history prior to the mid-19th century. While public street lighting these days is a huge improvement on the vegetable oil filled lamps used in Ancient Rome, much of the modern infrastructure still relies on outdated technology. The result is low-quality lighting, frequent faults, pollution and the inefficient use of electrical power and lighting services that consume as much as 25% of energy spending in cities. Intelligent street lighting – known as adaptive lighting – includes smart illumination solutions based on efficient, remotely controlled, LED public illumination. This reacts to usage by dimming the light when its sensors detect no movement, and brightens it when there is activity. It can be set up to suit only road traffic, or can be combined with monitoring of vehicle traffic, the weather and the amount of natural light that is available.

By replacing the current public lighting infrastructure with one based on cutting-edge technology, an intelligent street lighting system for the smart city can save energy with a flexible system that, by using cameras and other sensors, allows real-time management and control of the illumination of public spaces. Benefits of this revamped infrastructure include rapid identification of faults and failures, thus streamlining maintenance; and the ability to integrate a range of new features as they become available, based on the existing network of sensors. A wider point is that intelligent street lighting is part of a holistic approach that integrates with the entire city ecosystem, from the safety and security of citizens, to mobility, building management and energy efficiency.

In addition to our LED product range, we offer remote control solutions that build flexibility into the control and management of the smart street lighting infrastructure. New services such as adaptive illumination, video surveillance and environmental monitoring can also be added. Our Control Room interface offers efficient management of street lighting and data visualization in a simple and intuitive way that facilitates control of the entire infrastructure.  It is designed to allow users to share data, develop reports and access multimedia content in a way that encourages collaboration at every level.

Smart lighting ensures that architecture and artworks are perceived in harmony with their surroundings. We have demonstrated this commitment in over 1500 illumination projects around the world including the total overhaul of architectural lighting for Rome’s Pantheon, Pompeii, the Real Alcazar in Seville and the Riu Nere in the Catalan mountains. We can support every step needed in implementing a project, from design to finance, including construction, materials, installation and maintenance. As cities change, Enel X has a complete portfolio of solutions, starting from lighting, to ensure that the change is smart, managed, sustainable and saves the client time, energy and money.