SAN ANTONIO — The City of San Antonio will install its first “Smart Streetlight Controls” as part of a pilot program within the Brooks Innovation Zone. The smart streetlights will be located on Research Plaza between S. New Braunfels Ave. and Inner Circle Rd. on September 23rd.
“The smart streetlight pilot programs will provide important information about how we can proceed with this cutting-edge approach to lighting in the city,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “I am looking forward to seeing the results and am excited about the possibilities ranging from energy savings to valuable data collection that will inform a myriad of city services.”
Itron, a selected vendor for the pilot program, will install up to 15 smart streetlight solutions in each of the three Innovation Zones (Downtown, Brooks, and the Medical Center), for a total of 45 streetlights. Itron, in collaboration with the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy, will pilot solutions for remote lighting controls and monitoring, and multiple additional smart city solutions, such as parking sensors, air quality, temperature, ambient noise and flood sensing. The first sensors will be installed along Research Plaza in the Brooks Innovation Zone.
“This smart streetlight effort is exemplary of how our SmartSA partnership can and does work. We’re utilizing existing resources through a collaborative effort with our municipal agencies to support a higher quality of life for our citizens,” said Brian Dillard, Chief Innovation Officer for the City of San Antonio.
“I’m proud District 3 will be the first location for the installation of the smart streetlights which will redefine our City as we transform towards smart digital infrastructure,” said District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, “We look forward to keeping track of the ongoing advancements occurring in our District and excited to see the results contribute throughout the city.”
The pilot phase will run for six months, ending in March 2021. Each Innovation Zone deployment will be evaluated by SmartSA Partners CPS Energy and the City of San Antonio during the pilot phase. Lessons learned from the three pilots will inform a future citywide deployment of the smart streetlights after the pilot period ends.
“We are proud to partner with the City and CPS Energy to pilot this innovative project on our campus,” said Marques Mitchell, Brooks Director of Planning and Development. “As one of the fastest-growing zip codes in San Antonio, these smart streetlights will allow us to collect data on air quality, parking and flooding that we can use to further enhance quality of life for our community.”
Studies have shown, when combined with LED lighting, remote lighting controls on smart streetlights can create up to 60% savings on a City’s utility bill. Benefits to the public are many including enhancements to public safety and traffic safety due to increased visibility, as well as time and cost savings for parking. Smart streetlight applications can create new data sets such as air quality and temperature data that will support City Departments in streamlining services, developing policy, and reaching Climate Action & Adaptation Plan goals.
What are Innovation Zones?
In 2017, the San Antonio City Council established three “Innovation Zones” where new technologies and solutions to community challenges can be tested. In 2019, San Antonio residents completed an Innovation Zone Survey and identified environmental quality, pedestrian safety and traffic congestion as challenges in the zones.