Emitel, which says it delivers digital services and solutions powered by infrastructure, technology and data, has won a contract to build an intelligent street lighting control system for Warsaw.
The smart city solutions deployed will enable Warsaw to reduce electricity consumption and make more efficient use of its existing infrastructure. Municipal services will also be able to respond to faults more quickly and carry out maintenance work more effectively. The value of the core project is said to be close to PLN79 million (about US$21.2 million).
This is a strategic investment designed to modernise over 110,000 luminaires, representing a substantial proportion of the city’s lighting infrastructure. The new system will enable remote lighting management, early fault detection and dynamic adjustment of light intensity.
The agreement covers the development and maintenance of IT systems, a cloud-based infrastructure management platform, the supply of lighting controllers and the equipping of a dedicated management centre. The contract has been signed for eight years, with an option to extend it for a further five.
As part of the project, Emitel will build bith the system and a modern Lighting Management Centre. Equipped with operator workstations and a video wall, the centre will provide real-time management and visibility of the city’s lighting infrastructure.
Lukasz Puchalski, Director of the Municipal Roads Authority of the Capital City of Warsaw, explains that over the course of five years, it has replaced all lighting fixtures in Warsaw, saving approximately US$16.1 millon annually. About US$17.4 million has been investted in the replacement of these fixtures, and the savings achieved have already reached nearly US$40.2 million. He adds: “Ultimately, Warsaw’s street lighting will be able to operate using only about 20% of the electricity required just a few years ago. And we will continue to allocate the saved funds to further investments.”
Using the controllers, the Lighting Management Centre will not only be able to monitor changes in luminaire performance in real time but also make adjustments remotely. Once the new system is operational, settings will be adjustable even on a daily basis, for example in response to weather conditions. This will ensure that street lighting is used precisely when residents need it.
The system will also make it possible to optimise the output of each individual luminaire. On streets with highly reflective surfaces, such as light-coloured roadways, lamps will be able to operate at lower power. The city will also be able to reduce lighting levels on local streets where traffic is very light at certain times of night. Based on the adopted estimation model, Emital says annual energy savings could reach up to 30%.