Energy Efficiency Considerations for LED-Based Lighting of Multipurpose Outdoor Environments

Nowadays, street lighting accounts for 53% of outdoor lighting use, and the market is continuously increasing. In the context of rising energy prices and growing environmental awareness, energy efficiency is becoming one of the most important criteria for street lighting systems design. LED-based lights have become the primary option for replacing conventional light bulbs, being digitally controllable, small, highly efficient, and cheap to manufacture. Advanced control strategies adapted to ambient conditions are needed to combine low energy consumption and high-quality light ambience according to changing specifications. This paper describes an outdoor lighting solution aimed at energy-efficient performance in the context of multipurpose outdoor environments, where control is crucial in achieving efficiency improvements. This paper addresses efficiency at the component level, by optimizing the performance of LED drivers, and at the system level, by defining the control strategy and associated hardware infrastructure. The approach designed was tested in a real environment. The performance of the lighting installation was assessed using the Web-based monitoring application, providing real-time consumption information and aggregated historical data.