LIGHTING LIGHT UP THE TOWN: HARVA L
With recent legislation calling on local authorities to cut emissions, the pressure is on for councils to significantly reduce their carbon footprint. As a notorious drain on local power supplies, street lights have been posed as one such target for reducing energy; with councils proposing to turn them off completely during twilight hours. The problem with this measure, however, is that this type of carbon reduction is also accompanied by a reduction in service. Fortunately, in the form of Harvard’s LeafNut system, there is now
a way of cutting CO2 without sacrificing public service.
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ights are essential to our streets. They ensure we feel safe when we go out and help us navigate around otherwise inaccessible areas. But with 7.5 million street
lights in the UK, emitting approximately 830,000 tonnes of CO2
per year and
costing £500 million per year to run street lights carry a huge environmental burden. And recent cutbacks on government spending, as well as the introduction of climate legislation, have meant local authorities are being forced to seek new ways to reduce the impact of street lights on their energy bills, without bringing about a drop in service. Due to recent innovations in
technology, local authorities have found a way to reduce light emissions without switching them off. Control Management Systems (CMS) are a new technology that allow councils to wirelessly and remotely manage street lights. Via a system of ‘nodes’ placed on each street light that communicate with each other, lights can be dimmed during twilight hours, rather than being shut off completely. This means that energy spending is reduced, while residents have peace of mind that their area will remain well-lit, with less risk from crime.
It is not only CO2 emissions that
control systems like these help to cut, they can also significantly reduce running costs too. At an average of £50 to £70 to run a street light each year for energy, maintenance and lamp replacement, a CMS can substantially reduce these costs by up to 40%. With increasing pressure on councils to minimise spending, ‘Invest to Save’ schemes and PFIs are increasing in popularity, which can sit in line with this type of technology.
INTRODUCING: HARVARD’S LEAFNUT CMS
At the leading edge of this lighting revolution stands Normanton-based Harvard Engineering. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Harvard has an advanced and robust wireless control, management and reporting system for outdoor lighting, named LeafNut. Fitted either into an existing lighting system, or a brand new set up, the LeafNut system enables the user to directly control lighting levels. LeafNut uses a TrunkNode central web server to communicate by GSM mobile phone to the BranchNode control units mounted in the light. The BranchNodes are in
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 5
wireless communication with up to 256 LeafNodes, which are linked directly to an electronic ballast or driver in each street light. The system manages the light output, allowing the dimming of street lights to match specific requirements of a location at different times of night and uniquely provides light management individually, in groups or as a whole throughout the infrastructure. The programmable two-way process also gathers information regarding energy consumption and maintenance requirements.
With Government schemes such as the Climate Change Act and the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme in place within the UK, and with legal requirements to make carbon reductions of 34% by 2020, and 80% by 2050, based on 1990 levels, the LeafNut system is more than manageable; it is an investment for the future. The system is capable of saving up to £46 per street light per year and up to 100kg of carbon per street light per year. To ensure the smooth and effective running of each LeafNut system, every customer is assigned their own System Manager from the LeafNut support team. LeafNut Support are always on hand to deliver training to customers either on site at an installation, in a customer’s offices or at our factory. Detailed training manuals are provided that give step by step guides on the entire system so quick reference points to the key areas of LeafNut are always accessible.
REDUCING LIGHT EMISSIONS IN WESTMINSTER BOROUGH
With intelligent design, proven results and comprehensive support, it is hardly surprising then that Harvard’s LeafNut system has been successful adopted by more than 100 users all over the world. Zurs in Austria, Sydney in Australia and Westminster in the UK make up just a few. Not only limited to motorways and residential streets, applications include car parks, walk and bike trails, shopping centres, and car dealerships. In each case, the wireless control system allows users to securely manage and monitor street lighting stocks efficiently, leading to reduced emissions and reduced costs. Initially rolled out across a number
of trials, the LeafNut system has proven its worth to a diverse and demanding clientèle. As part of its ‘Smart Lights’ project, for instance, Westminster City Council trialled the innovative LeafNut
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