The New York Power Authority (NYPA) recently announced it has partnered with Signify, based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, to support its Smart Street Lighting NY project, launched in early 2018 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The program aims to replace at least half of the more than one million streetlights in the state of New York with energy-efficient LED technologies by 2025. NYPA will provide financial, logistical, technical, and informational support for cities that want to upgrade their street lighting systems. The program will advance the governor’s Green New Deal, which will put New York on a path to an economy-wide carbon neutrality.
To date, more than 50,000 LED streetlights have been installed or are currently being installed under the program, including the company’s Interact City Internet of Things (IoT) lighting system, which can help cities monitor their lighting systems through a central dashboard. The smart street lighting can also reduce crime by 20% and road accidents with injuries by 30%, according to the company.
Through this partnership, the program has the potential to reduce energy consumption annual across the state by 482 GWh, the equivalent of 44,770 households. Additionally, it will save taxpayers $87 million annually, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the safety of communities across the state. This puts money back in the pockets of families who have been impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, technology such as traffic light queue sizing data leads to better management of public transport and traffic flow overall. For the State of New York – and other municipalities taking smart city planning approaches – such changes translate into jobs and programs that impact residents’ everyday lives. Cities including Albany, Rochester and White Plains have already implemented projects.
As part of the project, NYPA has also devised an innovative financing model that offers municipalities low-rate loans for lighting conversions, including the option to buy the physical street lighting assets from local utilities. The company acts not only as a tech provider, but also as an advisor to and strategic partner of both NYPA and participating municipal governments.
Utica, N.Y., is one of the cities that recently underwent an $11.1-million upgrade, which included a replacement of more than 7,100 streetlights throughout the city with energy-saving LED fixtures. NYPA is also providing Utica with $690,000 in funding support for the project. The city will benefit from a new asset management system to monitor and control the entire streetlight system, providing localized dimming options and outage reporting. The new fixtures will also act as a power source, creating individual hubs for future SMART technology additions. The project will save the city more than $1.5 million annually and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 2,280 tons a year, the equivalent of taking more than 1,600 cars off the road.
“Modernizing Utica with SMART, energy-efficient street lighting fixtures is critical in moving New York into the future,” said Gil Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO. “This important project is evidence that New York is safely moving forward from the pandemic and a demonstration of the state’s steadfast commitment to fighting climate change and saving taxpayer money through innovative energy programs.”
“Upgrading Utica’s lighting infrastructure shows how far the city has progressed as this initiative will yield tremendous overall benefits for our community,” said Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri. “This long-term investment and partnership with NYPA will save the city money, while also reducing greenhouse emissions and incorporating modern technology.”
To learn more about this strategic partnership, read the original release.