The city of Cleveland, in Ohio, has upgraded its network of 61,000 streetlights with connected LED lights.
The work, which took just three business days, has also included installation of 1,000 cameras on the lighting infrastructure. These will be operated by the Cleveland Police Department. Further smart city applications will be hung off the lighting network, the city said.
The initiative is part of the city’s Safe Smart CLE programme, which has prescribed the city’s public lighting network is replaced with energy-efficient LED technology, including photocells allowing for adaptive control and real-time fault diagnosis.
The project was carried out by Cleveland Public Power, a city-owned utility. It covers lighting for nearly 400,000 residents. Cleveland Public Power used a connectivity and management solution from Telematics Wireless, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies (ST) Electronics. The city’s streetlighting functions as a wide-area communications network using FCC licensed frequencies, said ST Engineering.
The system enables Cleveland to set different light intensity for residential, commercial and industrial locations, pre-programme schedules for routine and real-time management of special conditions, and proactively manage maintenance support, it said. The city expects to make 50 per cent savings on energy with the new system, and a further 20 per cent through adaptive lighting.
Ivan Henderson, commissioner for Cleveland Public Power, said: “Not only does the Telematics Wireless system enable us to control and manage our streetlight operations far more efficiently and cost-effectively, it also provides Cleveland the backbone for more advanced, future-ready smart city applications like the high-definition images and our police department’s remote control of streetlights that can be dimmed or brightened throughout the city.”
Amir Hirsch, in charge of business development, at Telematics Wireless, commented: “Cleveland’s adoption and installation… is ultimately part of a bold statement from one of the country’s premier smart cities. It demonstrates a genuine commitment to visionary leadership, service, sustainability and cost containment for all the city’s citizens.”
Telematics Wireless installed three gateways to cover the entire city’s network of streetlights. A fourth gateway is planned for city-wide redundant coverage. The city plans to test other smart devices, the company said.
