Signify partners with the New York Power Authority to connect 500,000 smart street lights across the state to the network

Global lighting leader Signify (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT) recently announced a partnership with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to support the state in advancing the New York State Smart Street Light Project. Proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in early 2018, the project aims to carry out energy saving retrofits for more than 500,000 street light sets in the state using sustainable alternatives. Through this project, the New York Power Authority provides financial, logistical, technical, and informational support to cities looking to upgrade their street light systems. By leveraging smart connected LED street lights and Signify's Interact City IoT lighting system, cities can reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, making urban areas more livable. Since the project's inception, more than 50,000 LED street lights have been installed or are currently being installed.

The collaboration between the New York Power Authority and multiple cities in the state highlights the important role of smart connected lighting in building smart city infrastructure.

"In addition to illuminating roads, road lighting systems are also an indispensable part of smart city construction. Applying smart connected LED lighting systems can not only reduce electricity and maintenance costs, but also fully leverage the value-added benefits of lighting systems," said Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority.

Abebe Woldemariam, the street light project manager for the City of Rochester, gave a positive review of Interact City. "The platform offers more possibilities for city management and maintenance," he said. "With Interact City, we can remotely monitor systems through a central dashboard and quickly identify maintenance needs. If any issues occur, the system proactively notifies administrators to resolve them before they affect residents' daily lives. This is excellent."

As an important part of the project, the New York Power Authority designed an innovative financial model to provide low-interest loans for lighting system upgrades in various cities, as well as solutions such as purchasing lighting assets from local equipment suppliers. Signify is not only the technology provider for this project, but also a trusted advisor and strategic partner for the New York Power Authority and various cities.

"To this day, urbanization, digitalization, and sustainable development remain key drivers in smart city construction. It is precisely based on this motivation that Signify is thrilled to collaborate with the New York Power Authority, support the delivery of smart connected lighting products, and provide lighting and beyond-lighting benefits to the residents of New York State."

Smart connected infrastructure makes cities more livable and safer

Lighting is not just a component of the smart city ecosystem; it can also serve as city-wide smart connected infrastructure. Municipal authorities can install various sensors on smart connected street lights managed by Interact City to improve urban quality of life and management levels. By adding tilt detection, vibration, and noise sensors to smart connected street lights, municipal authorities can promptly maintain street lights and poles, identify areas requiring noise reduction measures, and thus protect roads and drivers. The open application interfaces (APIs) of Interact City can share information collected by sensors with the information systems of fire departments, medical rescue, and other emergency agencies, helping them respond faster. In addition, Signify’s smart poles, such as BrightSites, can serve as access points for mobile networks and wireless networks (Wi-Fi), or provide charging for electric vehicles.

Including Interact City, Signify's connected lighting systems adopt a secure development process and have obtained IEC 62443-4-1 security Certification from DEKRA.