Berlingske, 27/05/2021, Smart Cities Insert (Page 8-9)
The 27th of may 2021 in Berlingske (Smart Cities Insert page 8-9), you can learn more about the new danish technology cooperation between SEAS-NVE Udelys and Novalume Solutions! Read the article here or download the full article in English via the link below:
Read more about the Lumintell™ Streetlighting Management System her.
SEAS-NVE Udelys has introduced the Danish company Novalume Solutions in their CityLinx Smart City solution. This solution is now being rolled out across Denmark and will help municipalities meet their climate targets and transition to the latest light management technology without heavy costs.
Working towards a greener Denmark is a top priority for Danish municipalities. Charging stations for hybrid and electric cars make it easier for individuals to minimise their CO2 emissions; waste sorting has in large part been implemented in Danish cities; old streetlights are being replaced with new LEDs; buildings are being insulated; and new builds are having sensors installed for smart data collection. And it is precisely this collected data that can help municipalities kick-start their mission to meet climate targets.
The Internet of Things (IoT) turns “dead” objects into useful generators of data using sensors that communicate via networks with online platforms. Here, data can provide valuable insight into things like traffic intensity or current parking conditions. The breakthroughs that have taken place within IoT in recent years now make it possible to combine various solutions that instantly provide municipalities with significant economic and environmental savings.
A complete solution for municipalities of all sizes
One such groundbreaking solution is a new partnership between two Danish companies, SEAS-NVE Udelys and Novalume Solutions. Together, these businesses provide a complete solution to municipalities who wish to accelerate their green transition without heavy costs or confusing administration.
“Our goal is to help municipalities become more efficient and save energy. Our complete solution supports them in their mission to digitalise society’s infrastructure. As part of the co-operative energy and fibre optics group, Andel, it is in our DNA to create value for the community through digital initiatives. The possibility to combine Danish technology with a Danish solution for the Danish market reflects our position as a leading Danish energy group with a clear intention to invest in green technology and the green transition,” says Helge Lang Pedersen, Head of Department at SEAS-NVE Udelys.
SEAS-NVE Udelys uses the CityLinx Smart City platform – a flexible and scalable system for control of streetlights – and much more.
“SEAS-NVE Udelys provides the CityLinx Smart City platform, which can link up valuable data from a whole variety of applications in urban spaces and translate this data into insights. One of the most obvious places to start when implementing such a platform in a municipality is streetlight management,” says Helge Lang Pedersen.
Intelligent solutions secure big savings
This is precisely what has brought SEAS-NVE Udelys and Novalume Solutions together. With their Lumintell light management system, Novalume Solutions have created one of the market’s most intelligent systems for smart streetlight control. It uses a wireless system of so-called “nodes”, which are easily connected directly onto every streetlight.
“It has become clear that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and one of the ways we can do this is by picking the low-hanging fruit first. Unleashing the huge potential found in public street lighting,” says Jakob Meiland Hansen, CSO and co-founder of Novalume Solutions.
In addition to the savings made by switching to LED streetlights, these intelligent solutions mean municipalities can reduce energy and CO2 emissions by upwards of 30%, while cutting service and maintenance costs by up to 50%.
“We work with a component cost that ensures that municipalities recover their costs in less than five years. We have reached a very strong cost-benefit level, and this is likely one of the reasons why we have over 1.5 billion running hours in proof-of-concept across the globe,” says Jakob Meiland Hansen.
Novalume Solutions has found that municipalities have previously been hesitant to invest in new technology.
“Municipalities have been unsure about which technology to choose. They haven’t known whether they would end up locked to a specific supplier, making them dependent on just one single player in a rapidly developing market,” says Jakob Meiland Hansen.
That is one of the benefits of the new collaboration between SEAS-NVE Udelys and Novalume Solutions. CityLinx is an open system, and together, the two companies bridge the gap between old and new systems. Whether you have thousands of streetlights or just two to manage is irrelevant – the technology can handle small towns and enormous cities alike.
A forward and backward-looking solution
SEAS-NVE Udelys brings many years of experience to the collaboration. “We have in-depth knowledge of the existing infrastructure, and it is, of course, vital to understand your starting point in order to know how best to integrate new technology,” says Helge Lang Pedersen.
Over time, streetlights eventually reach the end of their life and need replacing. At this point, it is possible to upgrade to newer technology. Many municipalities will have previously invested in light management systems and any new technology must take this into account. The new technology must be backward-compatible so that the entire system does not need replacing, but can instead be levelled up over time, constantly integrating existing systems and new solutions within one, unifying platform. Backward compatibility is precisely what SEAS-NVE Udelys focuses on, so that existing solutions can be integrated into the CityLinx platform.
Going forward, this also allows them to make use of new, innovative technology such as Lumintell from Novalume Solutions.
“A municipality employee should not be able to tell whether they are running an old system from another supplier or the new system that Novalume Solutions installed yesterday. In this context, we as streetlight operators take on the role of system integrator. We can bring Novalume’s powerful solutions and any existing sensors together into the unified platform,” says Helge Lang Pedersen.
The municipality thereby gains one comprehensive overview, which can be used for smarter and more flexible urban planning, resulting in safer and more secure urban spaces for citizens.
“This combination of the CityLinx Smart City platform and Novalume Solutions is one of the few solutions that can gather various lighting control systems and combine them with, for example, waste management or parking solutions. This means we can collect data from a number of different applications. Because it’s an open system, municipalities can purchase Novalume for one part of town, and if they then wish to use a different system somewhere else, CityLinx can still be used to manage the whole thing,” says Helge Lang Pedersen.
From left to right:
Kim Krahl Larsen, Novalume Solutions; Jakob Meiland Hansen, Novalume Solutions; and Helge Lang Pedersen, SEAS-NVE Udelys.
“Our goal is to help municipalities become more efficient and save energy. Our complete solution supports them in their mission to digitalise society’s infrastructure. “ Helge Lang Pedersen, Head of Department at SEAS-NVE Udelys
Putting the public’s experience centre stage
Novalume Solutions and SEAS-NVE Udelys also focus heavily on the citizens.
“We talk a lot about the public’s experience of the urban space, both in relation to traffic but certainly also in relation to safety and security. Our dimming profiles allow you to decide exactly where you want more or less light, all the way down to the individual streetlamp. Perhaps you need to change the lighting specifically for short periods of time, such as during the school run, when there are changes in traffic to the stadium, or for a cultural event in town,” says Kim Krahl Larsen, CEO of Novalume Solutions.
It could also be that a municipality would like to reduce its light pollution so people can see the stars at night. Or there may be certain vulnerable areas of nature that they wish to protect from light pollution. When less light is required, the solution from SEAS-NVE Udelys and Novalume Solutions allows you to dim lights much easier than traditional systems are capable of.
As Helge Lang Pedersen points out, “The public is becoming increasingly aware of climate change, and we believe that municipalities will be put under increasing pressure to be energy efficient. If the individual is being asked to reduce energy consumption and follow environmentally friendly practices at home, how come the streetlights in the woods are on all night when you can easily connect a sensor that only brightens the light when someone comes by?”
“Or, conversely, there are areas where the lights are switched off entirely during certain periods, resulting in increased risk and insecurity for the public. We give municipalities the ability to optimise street lighting according to local needs. They are able to fine-tune the lighting to suit users’ needs while simultaneously achieving major energy savings and environmental benefits,” says Jakob Meiland Hansen.
Read more about the Lumintell™ Streetlighting Management System her.
NOVALUME SOLUTIONS has successfully installed wireless solutions in municipalities across the globe since 2016.
With their Lumintell solution, a small piece of wireless hardware – a so-called “node” – is installed onto each streetlight. This node is then connected to an online software platform. From here, the light can be controlled with help from sensor signals regarding weather, traffic and other inputs.
Contact us today to book a live demonstration of the Lumintell Smart City solution: Jakob Meiland Hansen, CSO: jmh@novalu.me, +45 51 31 53 00.
SEAS-NVE Udelys (Outdoor Lighting) is a part of the co-operative energy and fibre optic group, Andel. The c