Direct current in public lighting for improvement in LED performance and costs

Public lighting´s primary purpose is nighttime visibility for security and safety. How to meet so many requirements of so many stakeholders? The key to developing a good plan is to relate lighting to functions of public spaces, because street lighting is more than a technical requirement, a security need, or a design element. It can be thought of and utilized in terms of how the type, placement, and wattage affect how a street is perceived and used. With present-day used street lighting systems however, flexibility is expensive, as is maintenance and energy consumption. A new solution is to use LED lighting with a Direct Current power system. Advantages are a decrease in: energy conversions; material use; amount of switch-boxes; components; labour costs and environmental comfort. The overall implementation of LED and DC will result in better control and efficient maintenance due to integrated bidirectional communication. A challenge is the relatively high investment for these new solutions. Another challenge; DC is not a standard yet in rules and regulations. In the paper the transition to direct current public lighting system will be described with all the pros and cons. A new concept of public ownership, to overcome financial challenges will be discussed.