The city of Cleveland has deployed a control network for the city’s 61,000 streetlights that serve 400,000 residents and businesses.
ST Engineering Telematics Wireless provided the T-Light Galaxy communications infrastructure for the streetlights in only three business days over FCC licensed frequencies. Cleveland Public Power is the city-owned utility behind the project.
All the streetlights are also being converted to LED, and a city website says about 15% have recently been installed, or about 9,300 LED conversions.
The total project will cost about $35 million and take 18 months to complete. Mayor Frank Jackson announced the project in July. City Council President Kevin Kelley said the lighting and camera upgrade will make the city safer and brighter and aid in revitalizing neighborhoods, according to a report in Clevescene.
In addition, 1,000 high definition cameras will be added to the network that are operated by the city police department. They are being placed in hot spots identified by police and near major parks and recreation centers.
The network also offers remote control of streetlights that can be dimmed or brightened as needed for cost efficiencies. In addition, the network can be used for proactive maintenance to avoid outages.
Across the industry, smart lighting controls can reduce annual operating costs by 20% atop the 50% energy cost savings from converting older lamps to LED.
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