Intelligent street lighting in Giardinello The municipality saves up to 80% of energy with demand-oriented street lighting.

Customer profile

Street with historic-looking lighting in Giardinello

Giardinello, Sicily

Like private households, local authorities are trying to reduce energy consumption of all kinds and save costs. This is ultimately intended to reduce the burden on taxpayers. This was also one of the reasons that prompted the small Sicilian town of Giardinello, with a population of around 2,300, to think about smart solutions for its public infrastructure.

The challenge

Luminaire with LoRaWAN-capable control device

More efficient street lighting

In addition to public buildings, water supply, and disposal, street lighting is one of the largest consumers in the municipality. Therefore, Giardinello had already converted the lighting to LED technology recently. On this basis, a more modern and digital solution for the management of public street lighting was implemented. The aim of the renovation was to create a flexible concept with the possibility of further energy savings. Furthermore, the state of each individual luminaire should be visible. Another criterion was the use of a proven and future-proof technology, so that the municipality can remain independent in future projects. As lighting is also about safety, the application had to be designed and safeguarded accordingly. The different types of luminaires (modern and historical) posed a particular challenge.

Solution

Modern luminaire in Giardinello with LoRaWAN-capable control device

Giardinello luminaire with LoRaWAN gateway

LoRaWAN-capable lighting control units

After considering all the requirements and prerequisites, those responsible opted for the relatively new LoRaWAN standard for the communication technology. For this purpose, the luminaires are equipped with a control device, the Luminaire Controller Unit (LCU). The modern luminaires use an LCU with Zhaga interface. If no base is available, LoRaWAN-capable universal control units are used, which can be installed directly in the housing for the switching electronics. Both variants use the Dali-2 protocol for data transmission. In this way, in addition to simple switching commands, they can exchange further operating and diagnostic data with the LED driver.

LoRaWAN gateways

The individual control devices communicate with a central component that handles the routing. To ensure high-quality illumination and to reach all connected luminaires, three LoRaWAN gateways are used in Giardinello for this purpose. The LCUs send their data to the gateway located at the best position, which acts as a connecting element between the field level and the Internet or the network server with an integrated modem.

IoT platform with LoRaWAN network server

Apart from the hardware components described above, the Sicilian municipality is using the grovez.io IoT platform for the new solution. The provider offers its own server for the use of software services as part of a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The street lighting operator now uses the Smart Lighting Service as a SaaS instead of the classic control system in a control room. To do this, employees with access authorization log in via a web server. They can then control the street lighting manually from a distance. The combination of modern LED technology and LoRaWAN-based control technology means that each individual luminaire can be controlled and diagnosed. If a malfunction occurs, the user is automatically informed via an alarm management system.

Lighting management software

Various dimming levels can be set using the Smart Lighting Service lighting management software. This has a direct impact on energy consumption and the service life of the luminaires. Groups can be formed and interconnected for convenient management of complete areas. While the luminaires are dimmed down at night in some parts of the town to save energy and costs, others remain lit at 100% for safety reasons.

Advantages

Savings of 80% on energy costs with demand-based lighting
Reduction in IT costs through the use of the Smart Lighting Service
Secure data transmission with double AES encryption, among other functions
Potential integration of further sensors, for example from the traffic and environment sectors

Contact

Fabian Pasimeni

Global Industry Manager Urban Infrastructure

smartcity@phoenixcontact.com

I would be happy to support you on the way to efficient Smart City lighting.

Products

Controllers and I/O elements for automation

Automation technology

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Industrial Wireless

From IWLAN, through Wireless IO, up to LoRaWAN – Industrial Wireless enables secure and reliable wireless connections for industrial applications.

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Secure remote communication

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Summary

LoRaWAN infrastructure as the basis for further smart applications

After successful completion of the project, those responsible in Giardinello are reflecting on the next projects. Initial ideas include the integration of vehicle traffic sensors, serving perhaps in the future as a signal basis for adaptive, traffic-dependent lighting control. Furthermore, It is also conceivable to set up an environmental monitoring system based on LoRaWAN-capable sensors.

No matter in which direction Giardinello continues to develop, the municipality is already smarter than many a big city.

Fabian Pasimeni - Phoenix Contact, Director Global Industry Management Urban Infrastructure | Smart City