The Challenge
As the biggest street lighting project in the UK rolls out to replace and maintain 250,000 streetlights across Hampshire, West Sussex and Southampton, the £225 million 25-year ‘South Coast Street Lighting’ private finance initiative (PFI) is utilising the latest in smart lighting control, which is connected across the internet via the mobile network. Connectivity for the project is being delivered by Europe’s leading independent M2M managed services provider, Wireless Logic.
With the whole implementation carried out by SSE Contracting, part of Scottish and Southern Energy Group, the partnership involves Hampshire County Council, West Sussex County Council and Southampton City Council.
Work has already started to replace and maintain over 250,000 street lights, illuminated signs and bollards, with 150,000 street lights in Hampshire alone. The benefits of the massive PFI project include:
- £225million initiative largest in UK
- New lighting management system to dramatically reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint
- System employing M2M connectivity to give secure, remote and centralised monitoring and control
- investment in the most up to date, energy efficient equipment
- more efficient use of energy – with a potential reduction in current levels
- improved visibility and reduced light pollution at night
- safer streets and reduced crime
- fewer burning hours and dimming lights by 25% to reduce carbon emissions, with the ability to dim further.
The Solution
Behind control of the monitoring and control system is the Mayflower Complete Lighting Control System www.mayflowercontrol.com a revolutionary client-based highway lighting management system. Designed and built specifically to maximise efficiency and provide day-to-day management with regard to financial and on-site performance, the system utilises a ‘Zigbee Mesh’ local radio network with ‘nodes’ on each lighting unit which connect wirelessly to a sub master control. Each one of the sub masters communicates with up to 500 nodes, with the sub master in turn connected to the client central server across the mobile network. Mayflower enables remote management of the entire lighting both in real-time and to preset conditions. The central server reports on energy usage, failed units, and can control the light level element (brightening/dimming) of light clusters in defined areas, entirely remotely.
Key to the entire operation is the requirement to have secure and reliable mobile connectivity.
The mobile solution behind Mayflower Complete Lighting Control is powered by Wireless Logic’s NetPro platform, a fully managed connectivity service which addresses connectivity, security, managed firewall and M-VPN’s. With connectivity available across a number of networks dependent upon strength of signal, Mayflower has taken full advantage of Wireless Logic’s ‘oneAPN’, a common access point name regardless of mobile network used. With the sub master device pre-programmed with one APN, the installer can simply select and place the optimal network SIM according to its geographical location whilst on site, with no further programming required in the field.
The Mayflower system also utilises the SIMPro provisioning platform from Wireless Logic. With an installation programme that spans the next four years, the concept of hundreds of ‘live’ SIMs awaiting final commissioning was not an economical solution. By employing SIMPro, engineers can remotely provision each SIM as and when installed, whilst also benefiting from a range of data usage monitoring tools.
Jon-Paul Clarke, Business Development Director for Wireless Logic comments: “The Mayflower system demonstrates how energy saving technology can work hand in hand with low-cost and secure mobile M2M connectivity, and deliver massive reduction to both the public purse and the UK’s carbon footprint. We are working closely with the team at Mayflower Complete Lighting Control to take advantage of Wireless Logic’s bespoke connectivity solutions; oneAPN, SIMPro and NetPro have all been successfully deployed to give SSE a seamless, efficient solution to their connectivity requirements.” Mayflower Complete Lighting Control are working on a number of streetlighting contracts outside of the South Coast PFI including Nottingham and Knowsley.
Philip Cole, Wireless Logic’s Sales and Marketing Director concludes: “Partnering with Mayflower CLC is delivering energy saving M2M connectivity to street corners across the UK. As their implementation programmes continue, the one-stop solution from Wireless Logic will come into its own. With a singular platform with granular billing to each of Mayflower CLC’s, an ‘off the shelf’ private network, and unilateral accessibility via our oneAPN solution, Mayflower CLC and its customers have realised the benefit of selecting a focused aggregator solution through a single source supply.”
As the largest streetlighting PFI across the UK, it has been essential to identify partners who are able to respond to a continually demanding supply situation. M2M connectivity is critical to the success of the project, and we’ve worked hard to select a single source provider regardless of network used. Wireless Logic are fulfilling a number of pre-determined criteria and with year one coming to a conclusion, we are pleased with the functionality of their platforms and the Service Level Agreement which has been adhered to.