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Smart lighting to reduce Brussels' electricity consumption by 20% by 2035

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Illustration shows street lights on the Toison D'or Gulden Vlies in Brussels city centre (BELGA PHOTO ERIC VIDAL)
10:27 24/03/2021

Sibelga, the operator of the municipal public lighting network in Brussels, in cooperation with Engie Solutions, has announced its intention to roll out ‘smart’ lighting throughout the whole of Brussels by 2035.

By the end of this year, Brussels should already have 12,000 smart streetlamps, with an estimated 16,000 by the end of 2022, and 20,000 by the end of 2023.

Siblega intends to introduce the technology through the replacement of current streetlights and the installation of new ones, all of which will be fitted with a small controller, about 8cm in diameter, that will communicate and receive information via existing GSM (4G) networks or via a radio frequency network adapted to the needs of public lighting. The controllers will be installed directly above the light fixture meaning it will be virtually invisible from the ground.

According to Sibelga and Engie Solutions, the arrival of smart lighting will lead to a 20% reduction in electricity consumption in Brussels by 2035 (or 1.5% per year). At the same time, this will result in a reduction in emissions to the tune of 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of 750 laps of the earth by diesel car per year.

Smart lighting will allow the streetlights to be dimmed in residential areas, therefore reducing light pollution, or, for example, provide extra lighting when residents or cyclists are passing by. The smart lamp posts should also save annually on the bill for maintaining public lighting.

Written by Nick Amies