San Diego to Link Street Lights to Industrial Internet
(Credit: Flickr @ Dirk Duckhorn http://www.flickr.com/photos/fahrertuer/)
San Diego will soon become the first U.S. city to link its street lights to the Industrial Internet via an “intelligent” lighting system called LightGrid. The new system, which was developed by GE Lighting, will replace 3,000 city lamps with LED lights equipped with GPS beacons and wireless controls technology to measure and manage energy usage.
According to GE, LightGrid is an outdoor wireless control system for street and roadway lights that allows for remote operation and monitoring of all fixtures through a Web-enabled central management system. The system allows to program each fixture, on every street, individually (for example, to brighten areas when more light is needed—or to dim them when it’s not).
The lights and sensors will feed data to a software and hardware system for analysis. LightGrid will allow workers to adjust brightness according to traffic, accurately measure the energy used by each light pole and pay for the energy they actually consumed. “Light controls are going to be a game changer for the city of San Diego,” said Todd Gloria, San Diego’s interim mayor. “This innovation will provide us with real-time data on lights that are malfunctioning or not working at all, so communities can feel safe with improved lighting while the historic look of the lights is preserved.”
The installation has already started and it will be finished this spring. GE estimates that San Diego could save more than $250,000 annually with the new system.
GE LightGrid Outdoor Wireless Control System infograpic (Credit: General Electric). Click to enlarge.
The above story is based on or reprinted from materials provided by General Electric.
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