The Times of India 04.09.2012
Streetlighting to be set by timer, weather
CHENNAI: In an effort to save electricity, the Corporation of Chennai will install 1,200 timers for streetlights in the old
Sources in the corporation said two typesof timer switches were being
considered. The first kind will help switch on and switch off the lights
according to the time set in the in-built clock, while the other helps
lights switch on and off as per the weather conditions. The new devices
are expected to prevent lights from burning during the day or lying idle
after darkness falls, officials said.
Nearly 2,000 switches
now used to operate streetlights would be replaced with the new timer
switches that are expected to reduce the power consumption by as much as
20%,they added.The2.21lakh streetlights maintained by the corporation
in 200 wards consume around 19 MW per month, resulting in a Rs 2-crore
electricity bill.
The civic body had been receiving severe
criticism because in many areas lights came on before dark and in others
they were not switched until long after dark. A senior corporation
official said : "It will also avoid the existing system of manually
switching on or switching off the street lights.Thetimerswillbefixed in
automated junction boxes. Normally, the switching on and switching off
of streetlights takes nearly twohours."
"Contract workers
tasked with the job are unable to switch off street lights on time
because of the heavy traffic. Unless they start the process atleast two
hours before dusk, they are unable to complete the job on time as they
have to cover thousands of electric poles," said another official.
Officials said the new system was also expected to improve the
efficiency of streetlights. "The 'smart streetlight monitoring system'
will help track non-burning street lights," said an official.
The idea of introducing timers in streetlights has come in for praise
from residents.V S Suresh, a consumer activist in Kolathur, said : "The
decision is welcome but effective monitoring is also important. Proper
lighting can also help reduce the crime rate."
Separately, the
city corporation will replace all tube lights in the corporation's
extended areas with energy-saving solar and Light Emitting
Diode(LED)lamps.Itwill also install 25,000 solar lights in the expanded
areas. Around 50 crore has been allotted for the improvement of
streetlights in the extended areas under the Chennai Mega City
Development Mission.
