It is estimated that more than 50% of U.S. street lights are owned by utility companies. Utility companies are important players in the development of modern energy-saving street lights.
Many utility companies have recognized the benefits of deploying LEDs and are building smart road lighting platforms to improve customer service, meet municipal authorities ’energy reduction targets, and increase their bottom line by reducing maintenance costs.
However, some utilities have been slow to lead. They are often worried about the impact on existing business models, are not sure how to balance regulatory and non-regulatory opportunities, and do not consider it necessary to reduce energy consumption during off-peak hours. But inaction is no longer a viable approach. Utilities that resist change are increasingly being challenged by cities and municipalities as they see opportunities to reduce energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.
Utility companies that are still uncertain about their street lighting strategy can learn a lot from some of the trendsetting companies. Georgia Power is one of the pioneers of street lighting services in North America, and its lighting team manages approximately 900,000 street lights in its territory.
The utility company has launched LED products and is responsible for one of the world's largest connected lighting control systems. Since 2015, Georgia Power has implemented networked lighting control of nearly 300,000 of the 400,000 regulated street lights under its management. The company also controls about 500,000 unregulated area lights (such as parks, stadiums, campuses) and is currently upgrading them.
Georgia Electric Power Company and its customers have already obtained huge benefits from the project. The development of IoT technology has helped lighting management teams solve long-term issues surrounding asset management and maintenance programs. In addition, it has innovated in services such as the metering of fixed equipment and charging for usage time. The company provides important references for utility companies looking to realize the benefits and meet the challenges of smart street lights.
Navigant Research, a research organization, defines smart road lighting as "the application of advanced technology to achieve efficient operation, monitoring, and management of street lights, which is a strategic indicator of smart cities. Intelligent road lighting relies on a large number of advanced technologies, including sensors, control nodes, gateways, cameras, wireless communication, and data analysis.
According to its forecast, the global smart road lighting market size will reach $ 837.4 million in 2018. By 2027, the size of the global smart road lighting market will grow to approximately $ 8.3 billion per year, with a compound annual growth rate of 28.9%.
