Intelligent Lighting – Bringing Intuitively Luminous Revolution To Smart Cities

How Smart Lighting Leads to Smart Cities?Soon the conventional tungsten filament bulbs will become a thing of the past. And, the recently arrived high-tech lightings will become the symbol of intelligence, efficiency, safety and reliability in smart cities. The pace at which smart city intelligent lighting projects are moving forward will soon bring in a new lighting revolution in the urban world – perhaps, just as phenomenal as the invention of Thomas Edison. Whether they are street lights, traffic lights or indoor lights, their intensity of brightness will change according to our needs. Thanks to the innovation in technology, new lighting designs integrated with artificial intelligence are evolving day by day introducing far-reaching applications in homes, buildings and public places.      

To implement the use of intelligent lighting on a broader scale and take its general application to the next level, several meetups and events are being held around the world. These smart city events focus on using efficient lighting for the overall well-being of citizens. One such event is taking place this year in Melbourne, Australia called the ‘Australian Smart Lighting Summit 2018’. The event which is running in its 6th year is the leading lighting event of the region. It focuses on the application of energy efficient lighting in public spaces including roads, streets, urban and outdoor.

This event is a premier platform to interact with innovators, lighting engineers, smart city leaders and many more inspiring personalities in the field. It gives a unique platform to discuss the potential of new technologies, upcoming project opportunities, energy efficient strategies, and regulations influencing the lighting sector. Back in 2016, the Summit witnessed the participation of over 40 councils from across the nation. It also attracted a significant number of energy providers, road and public works authorities, lighting engineers and designers.

The 2018 Australian Smart Lighting Summit is anticipated to be a bigger event, attracting more than 150 lighting industry professionals committed to the implementation of innovative and intelligent lighting solutions. It is a two-day event taking place at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on 11th and 12th September. The event is a must-visit destination for those who seek to gain substantial knowledge from expert speaker line-up, presentations, panel discussions and more.

Today, we have compiled two important topics that are going to be a part of the major discussion during the Summit. Both the topic discussed here unveil the significance of intelligent lighting in the urban world. Let’s explore these incredibly interesting topics which are a part of the lighting revolution.

DOLL (Denmark Outdoor Living Lab)

Innovative technology and smart solutions are making a headway, but it can be difficult for governments to keep up with technology and deploy innovative solutions. In addition, there are challenges like financial constraints, optimisation and prioritisation of resources to deliver sustainable services to citizens. To overcome these obstacles and provide comprehensive solutions to smart cities, Europe’s largest living lab was established recently which was named as ‘DOLL’.

DOLL is the leading innovation hub in Europe that focuses on developing, testing and demonstrating intelligent lighting and smart city solutions. It aims at enabling the decision makers in the private and public sector to opt for the most optimal and innovative intelligent lighting solutions.

DOLL can be regarded as one of the best intelligent lighting solutions provider as it prepares qualified estimates and measures the challenges that crowded smart cities face. Their intelligent lighting solutions are a combination of LED lighting systems, sensors and AI.

Lighting For Outdoor

Street lights consume 350 GWh of power each year. But the replacement of the conventional street lighting by smart LED lighting has a great potential for optimising energy efficiency at the upfront. As per estimates, use of LED can boost energy savings by 50-80%. The outdoor street lamps are one of the significant pillars of public infrastructure. By deploying intelligent lighting, the street lamp posts can be transformed into new communication points which are integrated with digital sensors and Wifi.

The intelligent LED lighting can change the way we use light. If the conventional lights are replaced by smart LED lights, the intensity of the light can be increased or decreased based on the time of the day. For instance, it is possible to dim the lights by 10-30% during midnight when there is no traffic on the roads. Conversely, if a person enters a specific area, the lighting will increase its intensity to 100% until the person is using that area.

Lighting For Indoor

In addition to the outdoor lighting application, DOLL is also working with indoor lighting that promotes well-being. The opportunities in this area are many and the investment costs are low.

The platform is focusing on improving the indoor lighting facility especially in elder care, rehabilitation centres and hospitals.

With smart LED lighting, different colour combinations and colour temperatures can be regulated to mimic the intensity of natural light during the day as well as night. A Study indicates that this particular feature of smart light sustains natural circadian rhythm in humans and also promotes good night’s sleep. Therefore, such lightings can foster a better living environment for everyone including the residents of elderly homes.

Intelligent Lighting – Traditionally Designed Lighting Units with A Modern Twist

What Is the Need To Switch From Conventional LightingA part of the panel discussion at the Australian Summit, traditionally designed lighting units with a modern twist is an interesting topic to know about. In the most generic terms, intelligent lighting is used to define light and lighting control that goes beyond the conventional usage of turning on and turning off the lights with a manual switch. There are wide-range of intelligent lighting systems starting from the most basic dimming lights to the most complex ones that work in line with artificial intelligence to form complete automatic control systems. Intelligent lighting has the capacity to manage and control an entire building or even street lighting. In both the cases, the lighting system ensures that energy is not used or wasted unnecessarily leading to saving of energy. Alongside, one of the critical applications of intelligent lights includes overseeing the important issues such as emergency and security.

Take, for example, the integrated intelligent lighting systems in a connected home. The entire home is controlled by an automated system which includes a significant role for lights to play. As soon as we enter our home, the lights turn on in that specific area. And as soon as we leave, the lights turn off. This holds good for every corner of the house where lights are installed. Going beyond, the lights adjust the luminosity and colour according to the natural light available. Ultimately, it saves us energy and reduces our electricity bills. Even more, they work intuitively by changing the colour that suits our mood and taste while we are sleeping, studying or working. They flicker blue to remind us to carry an umbrella when it’s cloudy outside and turns red when the doorbell rings. If sensors are integrated with the lighting system, it can measure temperature and air quality throughout the home.

Now if we aren’t at home, we can control our lights through the integrated app on our smartphone. When you are away from home for the evening or on a holiday, all the lights of your home can mimic to show your presence at home. This feature of lights can deter any potential burglar.

All in all, intelligent lighting systems can create a safety mesh and provide you comfort along with its economic benefits. They can also be retrofitted in an existing house with wireless technology.

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