Thinking, Adapting, Learning Street lighting

LED bulbs, which are inherently more energy-efficient than traditional lighting options, when combined with smart controls that adjust lighting based on actual usage needs, significantly reduce energy consumption when compared to their conventional incandescent or high-pressure sodium (HPS) counterparts. LEDs use less energy, produce better and more direct light and last almost seven times as long, resulting in significant cost savings, according to a report. “Our cities deserve infrastructure that’s as smart as the people who live in them”, says Anil Agarwal, CEO, CIMCON Software India Pvt. Ltd. while sharing case studies of key lighting projects implemented by his company with TrafficInfratech.

Our vision is to build infrastructure that thinks, learns, and evolves. Through innovations like NB-IoT-enabled controllers and AI-based fault analytics, we’ve redefined what lighting networks can achieve. With over 150 cities already benefiting globally, we are now scaling these intelligent systems across India to deliver measurable value from reduced CO2 emissions to optimized public resource utilization.

– Anil Agarwal, CEO, CIMCON Software India Pvt. Ltd.

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, officially known as the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Trans Harbour Link and colloquially referred to as Atal Setu, represents a monumental infrastructure project connecting Mumbai with its satellite city, Navi Mumbai. Spanning 21.8 km and comprising a 6-lane elevated highway bridge, it stands as India’s longest sea bridge. In line with modern urban development and sustainability goals, a comprehensive Smart Street Lighting project was initiated to enhance safety, efficiency, and manageability of the bridge’s lighting system.

The scope of the Smart Street Lighting project encompassed the design, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of lighting controls through a Centralized Control & Monitoring System (CCMS). This project aimed to implement an advanced, web-based solution for the remote, real-time management of the bridge’s outdoor lighting system, utilizing a secure wired fibre/LAN communication network.

Challenges in the project included ensuring uninterrupted, real-time remote management of a vast outdoor lighting system across a significant expanse; Implementing fault monitoring, automatic fault detection, and efficient event logging and reporting mechanisms; Facilitating instant alarm generation and alert notifications to manage the system effectively; Integrating the entire system into a secure, cloud-based storage solution to handle extensive data from the smart energy meters and other monitoring devices.

To address these challenges, high-end CIMCON CCMS panels equipped with Ethernet ports for fibre/LAN communication were deployed across the bridge. These panels were connected via Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) to ensure robust, wired communication throughout the bridge’s length. The CCMS solution provided a comprehensive, web-based platform for monitoring all data from smart energy meters, including the status of electrical parameters and the ON/OFF periods of the streetlights. Automatic fault detection, event logging, report generation, and real-time alarm generation with alert notifications via email and SMS were other solutions.

The technical framework of the project featured 60 CIMCON high-end CCMS panels for centralized control and monitoring, IoT device integration for real-time monitoring and efficiency, wired fibre/LAN communication network facilitated by OFC laying and ensuring secure and uninterrupted data transmission. Advanced cloud-based data storage for comprehensive data management and retrieval and robust cybersecurity measures for network and data protection were also part of the framework.

The implementation of the Smart Street Lighting Control & Monitoring System on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link brought forth significant advantages. They included improved safety and visibility, operational efficiency, decrease in energy consumption by 40%, improved uptime by 99% and cost savings by 40%.

Another major project came by when Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited embarked on an ambitious project to enhance the illumination of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Hyderabad. This project was aimed at implementing a state-of-the-art street light wireless automation and tracking system, utilizing GSM/GPRS technology for the remote control and monitoring of street lights. Given the ORR’s critical role in managing heavy vehicle traffic and ensuring the safety of commuters, this project was of paramount importance for the Hyderabad metropolitan area. CIMCON’s project scope included design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of illumination to the Outer Ring Road.

The main challenges included implementing a reliable system for the remote control and monitoring of street lights over a vast area. It is important to ensure efficient two-way GSM communication between the street light controllers and the control server for real-time commands and data retrieval. The other challenges have been addressing critical issues such as power theft, short circuits, energy leakages, and losses due to earth leakages and fused lights and maintaining the health of the street lighting system with minimal human intervention.

CIMCON, a solution provider for Intelligent Street Light Control Systems, partnered with Lighting Technologies and KMV Projects Ltd to provide solutions including deploying a sophisticated automation system that uses GSM/GPRS technology for two-way communication. The collaboration also focused on developing software that enables monitoring from the control server to the feeder pillar box, allowing street lights to operate on a fixed program including ON/OFF timings and dimming schedules. The software ensures the system is capable of providing critical data on power-related issues and the overall health of the street lights for proactive maintenance.

The technical framework of the project encompassed communication integration by enabling seamless interaction between control server and street light controllers; real-time command execution, monitoring, and data retrieval functionalities. The scope extended to minimizing energy losses and ensuring optimal lighting conditions are maintained consistently, streamlining operations and optimizing resource utilization for improved performance and sustainability.

The project delivered several key benefits including enhanced safety and visibility by ensuring clear visibility on the ORR during night times, significantly reducing the risk of accidents. Operational efficiency, energy savings of up to 40%, up to 60% reduced carbon dioxide emissions and up to 50% cost savings on maintenance were the other benefits.