Energy-saving Echelon systems for street lighting control

The system uses Echelon's i.LON® Internet server, which enables remote monitoring and control of the lighting. In addition, by using data from the i.LON Internet server, utility companies reduce energy consumption during peak hours.

The rollout of the new Echelon LonWorks technology is taking place in two stages: as a pilot project, 200 street lights in the historic center of Quebec City were connected to the system. After launching the pilot, completing all measurements, and confirming 30% savings, the city authorities plan to connect another 800 street lights to the Echelon system by early 2008. Over the next 10 years, Quebec City intends to upgrade 1000 lights per year, connecting them to the new LonWorks-compatible control and monitoring system.

Echelon's lighting control solution based on LonWorks equipment saves energy in outdoor lighting systems and lowers overall energy consumption by automatically switching lights on and off according to natural light levels, dimming street lights, and switching off, during certain night hours, those lights that have no real effect on illumination levels at that time. Beyond cutting electricity use, Echelon applies lamp dimming (gradually raising or lowering the voltage supplied to the lamps), which extends their service life and reduces the cost of maintenance and lamp replacement.

«We deliberately chose to install the new Echelon system in the city's historic quarter first because, among all its other advantages, the LonWorks lighting system lets us showcase the architectural features of the old buildings to best effect. Thanks to this, the historic quarter — especially in the winter months — gains even more charm and appeal for tourists and locals alike» — says Guy Carignan, development department manager responsible for street lighting in Quebec City.

Today, many cities in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and England already use LonWorks technology and Echelon solutions in their street lighting systems, achieving significant reductions in their cities' energy consumption. Some cities, such as Oslo, the capital of Norway, or Milton Keynes in England, have already cut energy costs by 40–50% through the use of LonWorks equipment in their lighting control systems.

At the same time, a 30–50% reduction in energy consumption matters to cities in more than just economic terms. Investing in remote monitoring and control systems for municipal electrical infrastructure eliminates its impact on the climate and makes more efficient use of available resources. Automated street lighting control systems based on LonWorks networks also help reduce energy consumption worldwide and, in the long term — CO2 emissions as well.

Echelon Corporation is a pioneer and global leader in the development and manufacture of hardware and software for building LON control networks. The LonWorks technology it developed is used today for distributed control networks in transport, building automation systems, street lighting, and industrial process control. Echelon currently produces a full range of LonWorks equipment: controllers, routers, Internet servers, Ethernet, PCI, and USB adapters, and other devices certified by the international LonMark association and GOST R that work with engineering equipment from many manufacturers.