Hotline of power engineering specialists:
Rosseti Centre Belgorodenergo has started using an automated outdoor lighting system with the possibility of individual control of lighting fixtures. Last year, 787 new light points appeared in the region, equipped with special individual control units with the possibility of dimming the light flux.
The system is based on the principle of targeted control over the operation of lighting fixtures. On each individual light point, a controller is installed that regulates the luminous flux, which determines the health of the lamp and the initial data for calculating the consumed electricity.
The branch installed 310 modern LED lighting fixtures with an individual control unit in Borisovka instead of outdated conventional lighting fixtures as part of the “Digital Distribution Zone” project. A section of the grid with intelligent lighting covered the central part of the settlement: streets of Pervomaiskaya, Sovetskaya, Borisovskaya, Ushakov Square, as well as part of courtyard areas of apartment buildings of the district centre.
Lighting fixtures work in the “general” (night) and “optimal” (they turn off from 11:00 pm to 06:00 am) lighting modes. In addition to regulating the luminous flux and reducing the power of individual lighting fixtures, the system allows to remotely turn on and off every second or third light source, highlighting intersections, pedestrian crossings and reducing consumption in places with less traffic.
According to the power engineers, the system of individual control of light sources can be useful in illuminating sparsely populated areas, where it is more advisable to illuminate certain sections of the road network, rather than the whole street. In this case, the installation of such lighting fixtures will cost less than the installation of a cabinet and the construction of an outdoor lighting line. This year, it is planned to install at least 350 controlled lighting fixtures in the villages of Bogun-Gorodok, Baytsury, Gruzskoye, Nikitskoye, Akulinovka, Chulanovo, Zybino, the hamlets of Basov, Fedoseykin, Vakovschina in the Borisovsky district.
“We installed a part of individually controlled lighting fixtures for illumination of the inner courtyards of the multi-apartment residential buildings of the district centre. This is a good and fairly economical alternative to the construction of outdoor lighting lines,” says Roman Shabrov, the chief of the Borisovsky Distribution Zone. “In addition to reducing construction costs, it is expected to save energy by selectively adjusting the luminous flux. I also want to note the possibility of monitoring the status of each lighting fixture, which will allow taking measures to repair failed light bulbs as soon as possible. Today, all 100% of the lighting fixtures of the Borisovsky district are controlled automatically - we replaced the last manual control timers with intelligent control devices last year. Now we are working on improving the energy efficiency class. Last year, 400 fixtures were replaced with LED ones.”
For reference:
As of 1 January 2020, the number of light points in the service area of Belgorodenergo is more than 213 thousand. Over 65% of the lighting fixtures are controlled by an automated system that provides remote control over the operation of lighting fixtures and energy consumption in outdoor lighting. For 10 years, from 2009 to 2019, the number of fixtures in the region more than doubled by 113%. However, due to the implementation of the automated outdoor lighting control system and a significant reduction in the average power of one lamp, the annual consumption of outdoor lighting in the region grew by only 53%.