Oklahoma Gas and Electric is to add smart streetlight technology using Silver Spring Networks’ IoT platform and smart streetlight. Vision control software will connect and manage 250,000 LED streetlights, building on the 2012 project in which it deployed smart meters to more than 830,000 customers.
“Connecting streetlights and integrating them within our existing smart grid network will definitely add strength to our network,” said Toney Cooper, product development technical planner at OG&E. “Additionally, we will have failure notifications, control and monitoring capabilities, GPS tracking and much improved asset management.” Cooper added, “In addition to the improved efficiency, better nighttime visibility and extended bulb life of LED, we love the fact that this new technology allows us to know before our customers that a light is out. It gives OG&E an opportunity to be proactive on the maintenance side.”
It is expected that the intelligent lighting system will significantly enhance the quality of service and reliability for customers, improve the speed of street light restoration response in the event of outages, and help drive increased system efficiencies and lower energy consumption. What’s more, the open, standards-based solution enables utilities and cities to establish a platform for future applications and services such as traffic management, environmental sensors, smart parking, electric vehicle charging, electricity and natural gas metering, water conservation, and many others.
“OG&E has consistently demonstrated its industry leadership with its advanced smart grid initiatives. We’re honored to take the next step with them as we extend our critical infrastructure networking platform to include street lights across Oklahoma,” said Brandon Davito, Vice President of Smart Cities and Lighting, Silver Spring Networks. “With this program, OG&E is establishing a robust lighting infrastructure that can be leveraged for immediate benefits and can also be used to deploy more advanced services and applications over time.”
