Lighting Is the use of natural and artificial light to illuminate areas in general, for specific tasks, or for accent lighting.
Smart lighting systems use additional components, such as motion or occupancy sensors, daylight sensors etc, to adjust the light intensity for the environment and/or the user’s needs.
Smart Lighting Systems SLS provide useful solutions in different spaces, for example, in offices and residential buildings, outdoor lighting, in public streets etc. The main characteristic of Smart lighting systems is improving light quality and energy efficiency.
Energy Efficiency
By the application of efficient technologies such as LEDs, solar power, Integrating sensors, automatic light control etc. The energy consumption of lighting can be reduced significantly, with the additional advantages of improved light quality.
With recent developments in lighting technologies and light sources, SLS are part of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept with positive impacts from technology, economy, information, and end-user perspectives. In general, SLS provides functionalities that extend beyond lighting. For example, when applied in the industrial environment, SLS allows the communication between lighting devices, facilitates the management of quality, and in the forecast of consumption, that is resulting reduce cost.
The Importance of Energy Efficiency
Using energy more efficiently is one of the fastest, and most cost-effective ways to save money. Also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and meet growing energy demand.
Some benefits of energy efficiency:
– Environmental and sustainability : Increased efficiency can lower greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, as well as decrease water use.
– Economic: Improving energy efficiency can lower individual utility bills, create jobs, and help stabilize electricity prices and volatility.
– Utility System Benefits: Energy efficiency can provide long-term benefits by lowering overall electricity demand, thus reducing the need to invest in new electricity generation and transmission infrastructure.
– Risk Management: Energy efficiency can help to diversify resource, control and for optimisation of the lighting systems. on other hand its a great way to avoid fluctuating prices problem.
How does smart lighting reduce consumption, and improve energy efficiency?
Building & Home
Buildings are an important energy consuming sector, so, inefficient controlling of lights can result in wastage of energy in buildings and homes.
Nowaday buildings are built to be automated especially in lighting, to benefit from natural daylight, and use energy efficiently. This is why smart lighting systems (SLS) are becoming a necessity within buildings.
The first aim of the SLS within buldings is to reduce energy consumption by implementing a smart lighting system that integrates many technologies. Advances in smart technologies have brought in a new generation of building energy behaviors and control approaches, where smart lighting systems have a direct impact on energy saving, user’s comfort, health, and safety.
The novel smart grid concept is not only revolutionizing the electricity grid infrastructure, but also incentivizing awareness of a more sustainable energy utilization: “green” solutions for residential and commercial buildings have been included with the aim of increasing the diffusion of renewable energy sources and reducing carbon footprints.
Concurrently, the “smart building” paradigm aims at improving energy efficiency by integrating intelligent control mechanisms enabled by information and communication technologies (ICT).
Workplaces
Smart Office Automation (SOA) becomes a necessity With the increasing of the energy consumption.
Nowadays office work or home offices constitute vital and indispensable spaces. Every day and with continuity Individuals and companies must perform their work. So using energy is axiomatic, regular and permanent. This is why the Smart Office Automation becomes a necessity With the increasing energy consumption.
To reduce energy consumption and use it efficiently, (SOA) offers many immediate solutions, to lower energy consumption in short and hence reduced environmental impacts after that.
Actually, various kinds of devices and systems that enable the latest technologies, together work and assist humans to realize the same result with less effort, cost, and time.
Environment and Sustainability
Sustainable lighting is lighting designed with energy efficient light sources. “There are simple design strategies and some materials that can facilitate the energy saving advantages of natural light. Nowaday Both day lighting and electric lighting are used in architectural lighting design, for example, task lighting, is an energy saving strategy: (Proper sizing of the light to the needs of the location and the tasks that will be performed)
“The most sustainable source of lighting is daylight, other forms are solar lamps harvesting daylight and lighting controlled by occupation sensors. Furthermore technologies such as light-emitting diodes can be used to drastically reduce the energy requirement for energy.
Therefore, SLS will facilitate the implementation of energy efficiency strategies.
Smart lighting systems is a solutions for smart cities
Lighting describes the use of natural and artificial light to illuminate areas in general, for specific tasks, or for accent lighting. Smart lighting systems use additional components, such as motion or occupancy sensors or daylight sensors, to adjust the light intensity to the environment and the user’s needs. In all application areas where light is required, Smart lighting systems provide useful solutions, to improve light quality and energy efficiency.
Smart lighting solutions for smart cities
Many cities are already upgrading their lighting infrastructure to energy-efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), some advanced to smart lighting with dimming and safety-supporting controls etc.
Additionally, there are examples of cities that use their lampposts for other applications, such as air quality monitoring, Wi-Fi provision, video surveillance for public security, and electric vehicle (EV) charging. A smart, connected lighting system is part of a local, wireless, decentralized network with local or cloud-based intelligence. Data is collected from sensors on the lampposts, being cameras, daylight, movements or noise detection, and processed to derive optimal energy-efficient and safety-supporting operation of the public lighting.
How does smart lighting reduce consumption, and improve energy efficiency within cities ?
The additional energy savings of smart connected lighting compared to previous are at least 60% higher, that’s ensuring a sound return on investment.
Turning this highly distributed infrastructure into a connectivity platform could further facilitate the provision of services that can help address current and future environmental, mobility, energy, and security challenges, as well as providing additional services and value streams.
Smart lighting solutions, how does it contribute to overall sustainability and realize the clean energy goals?
Five reasons make smart lighting solutions contribute to overall sustainability and realize the clean energy goals:
- Smart connected lighting provides on average more lighting hours, but with dimmed power, optimally adjusting the local momentaneous need and the preferences of the citizen for the specific place and time.
- More lighting hours now come with lower overall energy demand and a longer lifetime of the LED lamps.
- Automated fault detection further reduces downtown and discomfort.
- The energy consumption can additionally be measured more accurately, ensuring that the city pays the correct price.
- Energy-saving of 50-70% is possible while using such smart connected lighting.
Gadgets to improve energy efficiency and reduce consumption
LED, photocell control:
Photocells are light-sensitive modules used to determine the on/off status of lighting based on ambient light levels. In simple terms, they are light detectors that automatically turn lights on at dusk and off at dawn.
PV: solar power for lamp:
In solar lights and a solar photovoltaic (PV) lighting system, the solar energy is converted into electricity and stored in a battery used to power lamps ..
Wireless light control:
A wireless light switch, also known as a remote light switch, works with a device that has a wireless antenna and a switch. The device is installed into the canopy of the light fixture. Then, the wireless switch is attached to the wall.
Voice control:
Smart speakers can control smart lights, plugs and switches which means you can turn lights on and off with your voice.
Voice control lighting is a technology that allows you to control your lights with a voice command. It works by having a device connected to your Wi-Fi network and then using your voice to control the lights. This is a great way to make your home more energy-efficient and convenient.
Light sensors:
Light sensors are a type of photodetector (also called photosensors) that detect light. Different types of light sensors can be used to measure illuminance, respond to changes in the amount of light received, or convert light to electricity.