New research predicts the widespread deployment of smart street lighting solutions could save up to $15 billion (€13.48 billion) by 2023.
The study, conducted by UK-based digital business analysis firm Juniper Research and titled Smart Cities: Leading Platforms, Segment Analysis & Forecasts 2019-2023, found that by converting street lights to use energy efficient LED bulbs and implementing connectivity into the street lighting infrastructure to control and monitor each light’s status individually, city authorities are projected to save up to 50 per cent per light of the energy currently used. Smart street lighting relying on connectivity is predicted to rise by 42 per cent per year between 2019 and 2023, by which time the study anticipates just under 70 million smart street lights will be deployed across the key regions it covers.
Juniper Research reached its conclusions by examining the current rates of deployment and future market outlook for smart grids, urban mobility, street lighting and other smart city developments in Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. With increasing numbers of cities moving towards platform procurement as an alternative to single point solutions, Juniper’s analysis suggests that implementing smart street lighting platforms could function as a reasonable introduction into the wider deployment of smart city technologies.
Steffen Sorrell, principal analyst at Juniper and author of the research, said: “The cost savings enabled by smart street lighting mean that many cities will look to this as a first-stage smart city project. Choosing an open platform will be key here, as additional services can be launched from the same point, while simultaneously driving up third-party vendor competition.”
The study ranked smart city platform providers, taking into account the range and scope of the companies’ technology options and the efficacy with which they could be deployed. Siemens was singled out for praise for its “significant market vertical expertise” and the “compelling offering” represented by its MindSphere platform, City Performance Tool and the newly-acquired Mendix software.
