Smart city begins with smart street lighting

A Lantern, Three Nights

It is shortly after 10 PM. The city grows quieter, but it does not sleep: A final bus rolls through, a cyclist turns onto the way home, somewhere a front door closes. And above it all stands a familiar image – streetlights that reliably provide light. Often, however, much too much of it, and frequently just when no one is looking.

This "permanent light" has been for decades the simplest answer to a complex question: How do we create safety, orientation, and quality of life in public spaces? Today, in the age of climate goals, tight budgets, and digital demands, the simple answer is no longer sufficient. This is exactly where the topic Smart City begins – and it often starts surprisingly at a place that every municipality already owns: the intelligent street lighting.

The need is enormous: inefficient switching times, lack of transparency regarding defects, and high energy costs. Across the EU, orders of magnitude of 40,000–50,000 GWh per year are being discussed for street lighting and its losses – energy that can be significantly reduced through modern control and retrofitting. Depending on the scale, a potential of up to 1 million tons of CO₂ annual savings is also mentioned in this context.

At the same time, cities are looking for solutions that work quickly, are affordable, and fit into the reality of procurement, operation, and data protection. A pragmatic approach is retrofitting street lighting – that is, gradually making existing fixtures smart instead of overhauling entire street sections.

Why Smart City Advances So Slowly Despite Necessity

The vision is already there: sensors, data platforms, adaptive systems, digital control. In practice, Smart City often fails not due to will but due to friction. Municipalities work with established infrastructures, long investment cycles, and complex responsibilities. Added to this are tenders, interface questions, and the concern of becoming technologically locked in.

A second brake factor is security – and not just in road traffic, but in IT. Municipal IoT projects today must consider cyber risks, data protection, and organizational resilience. This is indeed important, but it takes time and makes "just getting started" rarely possible. For this reason, entry points work best that are manageable, deliver clear benefits, and can be rolled out in a controlled manner.

Streetlights: The Underestimated Backbone of the Smart City

Why light, in particular? Because streetlights already stand where Smart City is supposed to take effect: throughout the city, in neighborhoods, at intersections, school paths, bike paths, and squares. This geographical distribution is a strategic advantage. Whoever thinks about Smart City street lighting correctly builds not only energy efficiency but simultaneously creates a connected infrastructure that can later host further applications.

Many solutions on the market describe connected lighting as a "foundation" for further sensors and urban services. The difference lies in the way there. The less civil engineering, replacement, and complexity are needed at the beginning, the faster a "vision" becomes a rollout.

From "On/Off" to Adaptive, Energy-Saving Lighting

Back to our lantern. Around 11 PM, it becomes quieter. Modern systems for smart street lighting do not dim generally, but according to demand: They take into account the time of day, ambient brightness, weather – and, above all, movement. When a pedestrian or a vehicle approaches, the light increases in the relevant area; if the road is empty, it decreases again. The result: safety remains, energy consumption and unnecessary light emissions decrease.

For municipalities, it is decisive that the control is not only locally but also digitally traceable: Which fixture is operating how? Where are there failures? Which profiles work in which neighborhood? An example of this retrofit approach is ENVIOTECH: with IoT-based retrofitting kits, digital monitoring, and the ability to centrally control light profiles and optimize them gradually.

Sensors on the Lantern: From Motion Impulse to Data Basis

A streetlight is not just a switch, but potentially a measuring point. Depending on the expansion level, besides motion and brightness detection, environmental data can also be integrated – for example, temperature or air quality. A clear prioritization is important: First, the basic function (safe, standard-compliant lighting) must improve. Afterwards, it makes sense to supplement sensors in those areas where they provide real added value.

• Motion detection for adaptive brightness on paths and streets

• Ambient brightness for smooth transitions at dusk, weather, and seasons

• Operational data for maintenance: recognizing defects, making deployments planable

• Optional environmental sensors as a building block for data-based urban development

Less Light Pollution, More Biodiversity

Smart City is often discussed in relation to apps and mobility. However, light is a direct environmental factor. Too much or misdirected light increases light pollution, disturbs ecosystems, and attracts insects – with measurable effects. Research and pilot projects show that better light management and adapted lighting can significantly reduce the attraction of insects. “Intelligent” here does not necessarily mean “brighter,” but rather more precise: light where it’s needed – and as little as possible where nature and night need peace.

There is also a benefit for humans: less glare, better perception, and calmer nighttime images. And for municipalities, this means: climate protection and biodiversity are not treated as an additional project, but as the result of better basic infrastructure.

Retrofitting Instead of Major Overhaul: Why "Starting Small" Is Often Faster

Many Smart City programs fail due to the "all-or-nothing" mentality: First the new platform, then the new network, then the new hardware – and suddenly there’s a million-dollar project on the table. Retrofitting reverses this order. Instead of replacing complete fixtures or poles, existing systems are expanded with an upgrade. This lowers investment barriers, reduces construction sites, and enables pilot neighborhoods where savings and acceptance can be measured cleanly.

Thus, trust is built – internally within the administration, externally with citizens – and Smart City becomes reality step by step. In many cases, the investment can therefore pay off significantly faster than with a complete exchange, as existing infrastructure is reused.

Conclusion: Smart City Doesn’t Have to Start Big

When our lantern slowly dims around 5 AM, it is not science fiction, but good operational logic: less waste, the same or better safety, less light at the wrong moment – and an infrastructure that makes further Smart City applications possible.

Therefore, anyone talking about Smart City today should ask a simple question: Which infrastructure is already everywhere – and can be intelligently enhanced with manageable effort? In street lighting, the answer is almost always: Yes.