Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is currently testing an intelligent street lighting system on its campus, which uses up to 80% less electricity than the current systems and is also cheaper to maintain. The system consists of street lights with LED lighting, motion sensors and wireless communication. This enables the installation to dim the lights when there are no cars, cyclists or pedestrians in the vicinity.
“This technology differs in certain aspects from the existing systems of other companies and all of this new technology has been patented”
Chintan ShahCEO
The aim of the pilot on the TU Delft campus is to thoroughly test and fine-tune the system, to prevent swaying branches or passing cats from switching the lights to full power, for instance. Shah is working with his TU Delft spin-off company Tvilight on the market introduction of the system, which he expects to be profitable within 3-5 years. The realisation of this campus pilot was the prize Chintan Shah won in March 2010 in the Campus Energy Challenge, a competition for TU Delft students with ideas on improving energy efficiency on the university campus.
By M&C
First published on July 11, 2011