The US city of Rancho Cucamonga, which is located on the outskirts of Los Angeles, has formally announced that it has selected leading Internet of Things technology provider Echelon Corporation to overhaul its existing streetlight network infrastructure.
The deployment of Echelon's Internet of Things technology will add intelligence to Rancho Cucamonga's streetlight system and will provide the scenic city with a number of new advantages that will accelerate its attempts to become a leading US smart city.
Echelon has an existing partnership with local contractor Tanko Lighting which provides solutions such as Top 900TLX wireless lighting controllers, base stations and central management systems (CMS). The implementation of the new innovative intelligent controllers and CMS will enable the Californian city to have greater autonomy over its streetlights - and in addition to this, it has been claimed that the new technologies deployed will enable automated monitoring and reporting for the very first time.
Utilities Division Manager of Rancho Cucamonga, Fred Lyn, outlined some of the primary reasons why the city had selected Echelon and declared that the Internet of Things technology which will be deployed will transform the city's infrastructure.
He said, "Installing intelligent controls at the same time as the LED upgrade makes logical sense. We now have visual status reports of lamp conditions, better control of our assets, improved connectivity and the foundation of a smart city network."
It has been claimed that the combination of Echelon's smart city solutions and LED conversion will reportedly save the Californian city $1m per-year due to the reduction in energy and maintenance costs. Smart city analysts have pointed out that automated monitoring provides real-time visibility into conditions of the lights which thereby reduce the need for workers to visually inspect the lights to find out if they are working correctly.
According to Echelon the implementation of the lighting control system will help lower electric costs by facilitating the intelligent control of light levels. For example, instead of running lights at full intensity at dusk and dawn, the lights can automatically brighten or dim based on ambient light levels.
Chairman and CEO of Echelon Corporation, Ron Sege said its technology was improving the quality of life for residents in cities across the US where its technology has been deployed.
He said, "Our technology is paving the way for smart cities to improve safety and quality of life, while achieving energy efficiency and sustainability goals. Combining Echelon's proven wireless control and sensor technology with industry standard LED lighting fixtures provides numerous benefits over just LED upgrades alone, including additional energy cost reduction, improved maintenance, extended lifetime for LED lamps, and lighting level that is adjusted to fit any situation."