🎬 Multilingual subtitles
✍️ By: Team BC1.NL
How intelligent is a street light?
It sounds futuristic, but it's already in use in the Netherlands, the smart street light. Lightwell from Amsterdam develops innovative, sustainable LED lighting, and they've come up with all kinds of ways to make the most of the empty space inside a street lamp.
With adaptive street lighting, the lamp can adjust to its surroundings, giving more light when it's needed and saving energy when less is called for.
Why does it save up to 80 per cent?
That saving comes from two things at once. The LED lighting itself accounts for about half the difference. On top of that comes a dimming profile, so the lamp only burns at full strength when it's actually needed. If there's nobody nearby, a sensor can dim the lighting by as much as 80 per cent. That doesn't just save electricity, it also makes the lamps last longer.
What's inside the pole?
With the arrival of LED, the light source became small while the fitting stayed just as big, since that's simply what people are used to seeing on a street light. All that leftover space can now be put to use. A wifi aerial fits at the top and a safety camera at the bottom, and there's room for a particulate matter sensor that reports over wifi whenever there's too much particulate matter in the air.
Smart street lighting is multifunctional
By working together with other innovative companies, Lightwell's smart street lights can be used in all sorts of ways. They can serve as a parking meter or as a charging point for an electric car, for example, and that's only the start.
What does a council get out of it?
Beyond the savings, the pole can share information within a given zone. In the event of an Amber Alert, for instance, people in the area are notified straight away that someone is being searched for. A warning about high particulate matter levels can reach a neighbourhood in exactly the same way. For businesses, it works the other way around, using the wifi across the city, they can steer people in certain zones towards their products. Connections like these turn a street light into a simple, affordable way of making the internet of things a reality.
Can you charge your car from it?
The film looks at exactly this, building charging systems into the street lighting so you can plug in and pay with a payment card. The key is being able to charge wherever you are, which is why Lightwell teamed up with The New Motion, using a card and app that work throughout Europe and bill straight from your account.
Who thought of this, and why?
The founder started Lightwell out of concern about CO2 emissions, believing that together we'll leave behind a healthier planet if everyone cuts those emissions in the area they know best. The real obstacle for innovative companies is time, you're developing a product and earning a living at the same time. Support from government and banks is needed to create that breathing room.
