(Photo: A streetlight in Wantaugh, New York. Credit: Joe Campbell, Flickr Creative Commons)
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is launching a statewide program that aims to replace at least 500,000 streetlights with energy-efficient LED technology by 2025.
NYPA, the country’s largest state public power organization, formed a partnership with Dutch LED lighting systems company Signify to support the new program, called Smart Street Lighting NY. The public power organization says that it plans to provide financial, logistical, technical, and informational support through the program for cities that want to upgrade their street lighting systems.
“In addition to illumining roadways, street lighting systems are essential vertical assets in smart city deployments,” said NYPA president and CEO Gil Quiniones. “Municipalities can save money on their utility bills and maintenance costs by adopting connected LED lighting while leveraging the value of their street lighting systems for additional benefits.”
Signify’s connected LED luminaires and Interact City IoT lighting system can help cities reduce energy consumption and shrink their carbon footprints, according to NYPA. The organization said that more than 50,000 LED streetlights have already been installed or are in the process of installation throughout the state under the new program.
Connected streetlights that have tilt, vibration, and noise sensors help municipalities by indicating when lights and poles that are out of position — and identify areas that need noise reduction measures, according to the program partners. Smart poles can also play host to municipal Wi-Fi transmitters or turn into electric vehicle charging stations, the partners added.
Abebe Woldemariam, street lighting program coordinator for the city of Rochester, said online that the Interact City platform allows for remote monitoring to quickly identify required maintenance. “Should any glitch occur, the system proactively prompts managers even before our residents have noticed,” he said.
For the streetlighting upgrade effort, NYPA says that it developed a financing model that offers municipalities in the state low-rate loans for lighting conversions that include an option to purchase the physical streetlighting assets from local utilities.