by Shane Henson — October 29, 2012—The market for light-emitting diode (LED) lamps for street lighting is expected to grow in the next several years, with unit shipments of LED lamps for street lights rising from fewer than 3 million in 2012 to more than 17 million in 2020, according to a report published by Pike Research, a market research and consulting team that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets.
The report, Smart Street Lighting, analyzes the global market opportunity for lamp upgrades and networked lighting controls across five categories of public outdoor lighting: highways, roads, parking lots, city parks, and sports stadiums. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the demand drivers, obstacles, policy factors, and technology issues associated with the growing market for street lighting controls. Key industry players are profiled in depth and worldwide revenue and capacity forecasts, segmented by lamp type and region, extend through 2020, says Pike Research.
According to the report, the expected increase in street lighting will be spurred in part by the new lamp options that have recently become available for street lights, most notably LEDs. Also, says the company, the advent of networked systems for central monitoring and control is enabling a range of intelligent management and energy savings options.
At the moment, however, nearly all smart street lighting projects are still in a pilot phase, with only a handful of large-scale installations in place to date. LED street lights currently cost roughly four times as much as their high-pressure sodium counterparts, placing them out of reach for many cash-strapped municipalities. The financial case for networked control systems can be even more difficult, according to the report. For this reason, smart systems are being installed primarily to reduce maintenance costs, improve monitoring, and enhance public safety, rather than energy savings alone.
