Intelligent light piles arrive in Rome. Starting point for experimentation with the new EUR lighting regulation system

Energy saving and sustainability thanks to the installation of 1,000 sensors

Rome, 24 May 2018 – Start in Rome, in the EUR quarter, the first experimentation of a new system dedicated to the regulation of lighting, by the installation of 1,000 sensors of light poles, with which it will be possible to monitor traffic, levels of luminance, noise and air pollution. The project called DIADEME and financed with funds from the LIFE program of the European Union, was born from the collaboration between Reverberi Enetec, a company from the province of Reggio Emilia that deals with the technical part of the project, AGIRE (EU Energy  Agency of Mantua ), ACEA and the Rome Capital Department of Infrastructures.

Every single light point will be equipped with special sophisticated sensors able to monitor the traffic conditions and the luminance on the road, thus producing a significant energy saving and an improvement in traffic safety at the same time .

The information will then be routed to a central unit whose algorithms will evaluate the detected conditions. From these analyzes the levels of light intensity that must be supplied by the individual lighting points will be obtained, in order to comply with the requirements of the UNI11248 standard, pursuing a widespread, intelligent and real-time regulation. Correct lighting will therefore be guaranteed for each monitored area, depending on the data collected.

The project of installation and recovery and analysis of data will be completed by the end of 2019. The installed devices will remain, at the end of the project, available to Roma Capitale without any charge for the Administration that can continue to use the data. If the analysis of the measured values ​​will produce positive results, the project will be widespread and replicable in other areas of Rome.

A further objective of the LIFE-DIADEME project is the acquisition of environmental monitoring data through low-cost sensors; for this reason, every 20 points of light, will be installed of the control units, dedicated to the detection of climate-altering gases. These units, developed by a research center funded by the European Union, will be used for the first time in large numbers in Rome. They will retrieve information on the concentration in the air of ozone (O3), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). This data should allow a precise and low-cost mapping of the air quality level along the pilot site routes.

The project is divided into two operational phases which provide for the gradual installation of the devices. The technicians of ARETI, an ACEA Group company that deals with public lighting in Rome, deals with the technical aspects relating to the conformation and sizing of the equipment as well as the installation of the same on the supports. To date, the first 109 lighting points have already been installed, while starting from October 2018, the phase will begin on the installation of the remaining 891 lighting points, LARGE TEST SITE. In total, the following will be installed: 1000 electronic traffic, light and noise detection, 50 electronic detection of O3, NO2, NO, CO, 30 electronic sensors for precision detection of road luminance, vehicular traffic and weather conditions.

The Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi said that Rome is looking to the future adding that the Administration is happy that this project can start in the Capital. The first town was confident in further and profitable developments for the city.

The Assessor for Infrastructures Margherita Gatta, participating in an inspection of EUR said that it is a new system that intends to promote a controlled use of resources and could constitute an added value in the activities of energy efficiency that the capital is carrying out on more fronts. Adding that it was a pleasure to meet the winners of the European project and watch these first installed sensors live, which will be followed by others and that this is an important step for the capital to experiment new opportunities and renew its infrastructure system.