Smart streetlight install base to hit 73m by 2026

The global install base of LED smart streetlights is on track to reach nearly 73 million by 2026, according to Navigant Research.

Smart streetlights offer advantages in terms of increased energy efficiency and opportunities for generating additional revenues for cities, suppliers and utilities, the research firm said in a new report.

“With LEDs established as the technology of choice for street lighting upgrades, the next frontier for smart street lighting networks involves rapidly increasing deployments of controls technology and a transition to being utilised as a broader platform for smart city innovations,” Navigant Research analyst Ryan Citron said.

“Sensors and other technologies are being added to smart street lighting networks to offer a multitude of new city services, including gunshot detection, air quality monitoring, electric vehicle (EV) charging, traffic management and smart parking, among others.”

Smart streetlights are also being trialled in Australia. Environment Protection Authority Victoria and CitiPower are conducting a joint trial involving installing air quality monitoring sensors on street lamps on Melbourne’s busy Queen Street Bridge.

South Australia’s Local Governments Association is meanwhile working to replace streetlights in the state with LED lighting, and believes the move has the potential to save up to $196 million in lighting costs over 20 years.

But Navigant’s report finds that cities worldwide are not adequately taking advantage of smart control technology for LED streetlights, and are missing out on energy and maintenance savings as a result.

Image courtesy City of Belmont

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