A system of connecting street lighting to a central control centre over wireless connections is being supported by GPRS based services from the UK's Kingston Communications, the company has announced.
In the first contract of its kind for Kingston Communications (KC), the company has partnered with Harvard Engineering from Beeston in Leeds to provide the data communication for its LeafNut technology which allows street lights to be operated and managed remotely with a PC or laptop.
LeafNut offers the ability to accurately control and monitor all assigned lighting units by providing remote wireless, web based switching and dimming back to the operator through a webserver. In addition it provides on screen diagnostics including operational efficiency, predicted lamp failure, fault finding and energy consumption management.
Utilising KC's server hosting facilities, Harvard Engineering's LeafNut system also gives users the ability to remotely monitor and control on and off times, change the power output, monitor lamp life and failure and provide early warning reports that will reduce maintenance costs.
Harvard Engineering's Financial Director Martin Baum explains: "LeafNut is already allowing local authorities across the UK to achieve 40% cuts in street lighting energy costs. It provides a two-way conversation between street lights and operators which allows users to manage all information around light running efficiencies, maintenance and energy.
"We rely heavily on fast and secure wireless technology to ensure information collated at individual lamp posts is communicated instantaneously back to the operator. Kingston's GPRS application and protected data connections, combined with the added security of a hosting environment, allow our system to provide local authorities and private companies with efficient, intelligent lighting."'
"One town in Holland uses the system to increase public lighting on Friday and Saturday and Warrington in Cheshire is 100% committed to LeafNut. Westminster Council is about to complete a 12-month trial and three sites in Sheffield are currently on trial. Before going public, we tested the system exhaustively on our own business park in Leeds - where it is still operational."
Posted to the site on 3rd July 2009
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/38345.php