Interest in smart street lighting triples in US cities

Source: Smart Cities World Published: May 1, 2020

Interest in smart street lighting triples in US cities

News01 May 2020by SmartCitiesWorld news team

The largest 314 cities in the US are converting to LED, according to the Northeast Group, which projects that the country will invest $8.2bn in street light modernisation over the next decade.

Smart street lighting is one of the foundation blocks of smart cities

The largest 314 cities in the US (those with over 100,000 residents) are converting to LED streetlights and interest in connected or smart street lights has nearly tripled, according to a report.

The Northeast Group also reports that the US is projected to invest $8.2bn in street light modernisation over the next decade.

Smart city building block

Smart street lighting is generally regarded as one of the fundamental building blocks of smart cities. And such initiatives are becoming more important than ever to help build resilience and achieve cost-savings for municipalities and utilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the third edition of the United States Smart Street Lighting & Smart Cities: Market Forecast (2020-2029), such investments are reaping important cost-savings as cities face budget shortfalls in the wake of Covid-19 related economic challenges.

“The smart street lighting market has rapidly advanced since our last survey back in 2018,” said Chris Testa, research director at Northeast Group. “The number of planned projects has more than doubled, prices have stabilised, and the benefits are better understood."

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