Smart street lights coming

Corporation plans a master control room for monitoring the street lights

ZERO WASTAGE:Energy efficiency is expected to improve once the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation adopts the smart system completely for street lights.— PHOTO: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

In a major step to reduce complaints on street lights operation, the Tiruchirappalli City Corporation has planned to install a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to remotely operate and monitor street lights in all 65 wards of the city.

It is one of the components of the Rs. 30.29 crore energy efficient project being implemented in the city under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. In the first phase, the corporation has replaced 26,391 fluorescent bulbs with energy efficient LED bulbs. As per the move, a master control room will be set up on premises of the corporation. It will have all equipment to get live data on functioning and non-functioning street lights, the reasons of non-functioning street lights and so on. It will enable the operator to remotely control street lights.

A senior official of the corporation told

The Hindu that it would enable the corporation to implement a fully centralized street light management. Besides the control room, street light regulators would be installed in about 200 locations. Each controller would cover the street lights in five to ten streets. Energy meter for measuring power of the lighting point was integrated with the controller. Sunrise and sunset timings could be programmed in the controller. There would be no need for manual operation of street lights.

He said that street lights would be divided into various groups so as to equip with communication modules and energy monitoring modules. They would in turn update the Master Control Room with data. The street lights could be switched on and off based on selected group of light poles.

The system could generate power usage forms from time to time so as to bring changes if needed. Similarly, it would receive alarm from specific pole if the light was not burning. It would automatically send message to the networked mobile phones indicating faults.

The official said it would reduce the power consumption. Similarly, complaints’ street lights being switched on during the day would be avoided. Moreover, it would enable the corporation to provide efficient street light system to the citizens.