Energy Efficiency and System Control of Street Lighting Using Wireless Sensors Network and Actuators

Abstract

This paper presents the development and implementation of a wireless system for street lighting control and monitoring, focusing on its energy efficiency and reliability. Each node of the network consists of a lamp connected to an electronic dimmable ballast through a control unit and a radio module. The network is designed using the 802.15.4 IEEE protocol and it is implemented using a mesh topology at 2.45 GHz. It is possible to adjust the power consumption and luminosity of each lamp at a particular point (or street) relative to traffic intensity or safety considerations, saving a considerable amount of energy. It is also possible to adjust the luminosity of the lamp according to the environment light by using a radiant sensor present in the control unit and check the lamp status (on or off). The entire network is monitored by self-proprietary software, and also includes the ability to make decisions depending on local sensors. Each node can also be used as a router to transmit the information from one node to another in order to extend the distance range the network can achieve. The main advantages of this system are the reduction of costs related to energy consumption and the ability to detect in a short time a lamp failure. Results show that it is possible to reduce the power consumption of a single lamp by 69%. The network range was adequate and each node itself could transmit and receive commands 130 m apart.