The civic body through the Coimbatore Smart City Limited is planning to smarten street lights by fixing sensor devices so as to conserve power consumption.
According to sources, the Corporation has given nod to students from SNS College of Technology to attach the device to street lights on the Ondipudur bridge. S. Naveen, a student, said when the college approached the Corporation with their street light control device and the latter was receptive. It had promised to give a formal order for them to go ahead with the project.
Mr. Naveen, a final year electronics and communication engineering student, his junior V. Bharath and faculty S. Srikanth and M. Srinivasa Perumal will fix the more than 30 devices on the 100-plus lights on the bridge.
During late night and early hours of the day, when the vehicle movement is thin, the device will automatically switch on and off the lights only when vehicles pass by.
Mr. Srikanth says the device uses motion and light sensors to control the lights. After the sensor switches on the light at dusk, they will continue to glow till midnight or so. Thereafter, the sensor will track vehicle movement to switch on the light, thus saving power when the lights are switched off. This can be easily controlled, he adds.
Dean of the college T. Ravichandran, who mentored the students, says the college with Corporation’s suggestion chose Ondipudur bridge because it is the eastern gateway to the city and easy to work on.
The college plans to attach a sensor to three or four lights so that they glow at a sequence to facilitate easy movement of vehicles. Once the vehicles past by the lights, the sensor will switch off the lights.
Corporation sources say if the project proves to be successful, it may consider extending it a few other parts of the city. The Corporation has nearly 70,000 street lights across the city.
Mr. Naveen and Mr. Bharath first designed the sensors a couple of months ago. They tried out at the college hostel and also at a furniture shop. The results are encouraging and that prompted them to approach the Corporation, says the former.
A sensor works to around ₹2,500.
