Cleaner, brighter, smarter
Oslo's first street lights were lit in 1848. Since then they have become both brighter and smarter.
A bright idea. 10 000 intelligent street lights in Oslo do the job more efficiently and require less maintenance.
Today Oslo's network of 10 000 “intelligent street lights” makes it the largest in the world. The new street lights use less power than the old ones, but are more than bright enough.
- Ordinary streetlights are actually too bright, says Tom Kristoffersen at the Agency for Road and Transport in Oslo.
Because of a calculated loss of effect over time, it is usual to install bulbs with a higher effect than initially necessary. This is to make sure that they stay bright enough through the entire expected life period. Together with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the city of Oslo found that so called high pressured natrium bulbs lasted longer and did not lose their effect as quickly as ordinary bulbs. This meant that instead of the traditional 125W bulbs, with the new efficient bulbs it was sufficient with just 70W. The new bulbs also made it possible to dim the light to a desired effect, making this form of street lighting highly energy efficient.
Intelligent street lights
But there is more to these street lights than just efficiency. They are also intelligent, as they adapt their lighting to the amount of traffic in the street or to weather conditions. When traffic is dense, the headlights from the cars means less need for above lighting, and when the streets are covered with snow, sensors will register an increased amount of reflected light and reduce their strength accordingly.
The system utilizes telecommunication (GPRS technology) between the central database and the switch cabinet located in the street. The switch cabinet receives messages from the central database and transmits these to the individual lamps via the existing 230V power cables.
The city of Oslo found that this system reduced energy consumption by 60 – 70 % and CO2 emissions by 1440 tonnes. The project was made possible partly by funding from Enova, a state run enterprise meant to stimulate environmentally sound and rational use and production of energy. Norways largest electricity company Hafslund are responsible for the running and maintenance of street lighting in greater Oslo.
Further reading
Read more about Oslo’s intelligent lighting at the Clinton Climate Initiative
Related Articles
Bathing in light
The Finnish city of Pori is building a solar heated swimming pool complex.
Farm Energy Programme - Finland
A national energy programme for Finnish farms, drawn up by an expert group led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, was launched in January 2010. The programme helps farms to reshape their ene
Building sustainability
Wallenstam builds, develops and manages properties for sustainable living and enterprise in the three most expansive regions in Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Helsingborg.
