IoT-Enabled Smart Unidirectional Road Lighting Control System for Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Road Safety Through Sensor Integration and Geofencing Technology

The increasing concentration of urban population has certainly made the advocates of sustainable and efficient cities very interested in their construction. Energy efficient do indeed involve street lighting which unfortunately is one of the most challenging features of any sustainable city as it incurs large shares of expenditure within the energy budget of the cities. Aho et al. note that older streetlights were almost always left on regardless of what the operating environment was or this could be an insomniac offending night. The large scale installation and use of such systems results in wastage of electricity, addition of light pollution and cost funds to maintenance. Therefore, smart lighting systems are fitting end to such deficiencies, where Internet of Things and smart control systems are employed. These systems include methods of control whereby devices and luminaires are turned off or dimmed or turned on depending upon the expected conditions. Such advancement of smart lighting proposes advantages of decreased electrical consumption, less electrification pollution to the extent of being a “win-win” for vehicles and pedestrians oriented safety measures. More than motion sensors are necessary to enhance smart road lighting systems, as light around the area and the geographic location of the road lighting equipment must be integrated into the system. In addition, only a light is turned on when a car is nearby so that there is minimal energy wastage. Also, the real time visibility of energy consumption and the frequency of providing such information has a huge bearing on the management of lighting or power resources. Moreover, such technological advancement is very useful to smart vehicles because geofencing allows for the switching on of streetlights after a vehicle is a certain distance away from the light meaning less energy is also spent.