Page 14 - index

coNNected lightiNg:

a tippiNg poiNt

iN the Future oF

sustaiNable cities

A universal switch across the world to LEDs would slash the amount of electricity used for lightng from 19% to 11%,
cutng energy costs and freeing up funds that could be spent in other areas.

by harry verhaar

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. How many of Cites today account for 54% of the global However, a universal switch
the world’s problems could have been avoided populaton and consume more than 70% of the across the world to LED lightng
had those with power and infuence yesterday world’s energy supply. With urban populaton would slash this fgure to 11%,
known what we do today? predicted to close to double by 2050, the drastcally cutng energy costs
impact of cites on energy consumpton, natural and freeing up funds that could
The ignorance of our forebears makes their resources and greenhouse gas emissions will be spent in other areas – such
errors easier for us to stomach. But the rise further stll. This means that we must focus as health and educaton – to
judgment of future generatons will not be as on making cites more sustainable and grasp stmulate economic growth
kind if they discover that our inacton in tackling the solutons already at our disposal to increase and create jobs. It would also
many of the greatest threats to the planet energy efciency. cut carbon emissions by 670
stemmed from negligence. million tonnes.
universal switch
When it comes to energy and climate change,
the world faces a perfect storm – a storm that Lightng is a case in point where huge savings – While the contributons of
every household can help
both in energy and money terms – can be made
can be difused, at least in part, by technologies using existng technology, with tangible knock- make this a reality, the biggest
that already exist. And yet, in spite of these on benefts for the environment, economy gains hinge on the decisions
solutons, the world is not actng fast enough, and society. Lightng accounts for 19% of all of governments, policymakers,
and so risks sleepwalking towards disaster.
electricity used globally as we cling to outdated, businesses, and other large
inefcient systems. organizatons. And, given their
scale, cites hold the key.
Street lightng is the obvious
startng point. There are 290
million street lights around the
world – most of them in cites
– and yet only 10% are LEDs.
Switching from conventonal
street lightng to LEDs can cut
energy consumpton by 40%.
Cost savings
Cites can go even further: by
connectng LEDs to enable
remote management – and
provide light only on demand
– energy savings of up to 70%
can be achieved. Just 1% of
the world’s street lights are
Philips has renewed the street lightng system of Szczecin in Poland with connected LED technology. currently connected, yet this
Photo: © Philips. is where the real gains can be

12 www.rtcc.org