New street light system that saves power

BANGALORE: Even as the state is facing a power crisis, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be able to save at least 25 per cent of power on street lighting alone by switching to a central monitoring system, a new methodology, which is in its initial stage.Bangalore city has 4.30 lakh street lights of different types like sodium vapour, metal alloyed, mercury vapour and fluorescent. According to a senior official from the electrical department of the BBMP, street lights consume 65 Mega Watt a month.“We pay around Rs 8 crore to BESCOM every month,” he said.The Palike now plans to adopt an automated central monitoring system where it can control street lighting. “While the lights can be of full brightness between 6 pm and 11 pm, they can be dimmed between 11 pm and 6 am, when the traffic is lean. This will reduce consumption by at least 25 per cent,” the official said.This concept has been in use at cities like Mumbai and Coimbatore.“Though initial investment is high, it is economical in the long run,” he said.The Palike plans to try it out in a couple of wards. “Depending on the response, we can extend it to other wards in a phased manner,” the official said.Sodium Vapour to LEDThe Palike is also switching from sodium vapour to LEDs (light emitting diodes).“We have already implemented it in Nagapura and Sunkenahalli wards at a cost of Rs 1 crore each. There are 500 LED lights in each ward. Though LED lamps cost between Rs 14,000 and Rs 20,000 and are not as bright as sodium vapour or mercury vapour lamps, they consume only 72 Watts, compared to 250 Watts by sodium vapour lamps, which cost Rs 6,000. LEDs last for upto 50,000 hours compared to sodium and metal alloyed light that last for 15,000 hours.