The transformative action focuses on energy transition, committing to reducing consumption and to digitalization through an overall redevelopment of the entire network of public lighting systems.
The project begun in 2015 and is still in progress according to the innovative Energy Performance Contract (EPC) formula, which provides for the redevelopment and management of public lamps by a private company. The project includes the implementation of a video surveillance system. In this project the technology is at the service of the community and the territory for control and security issues and to enhance the beauty of the city's main points of interest.
Through this project the Municipality of Formigine (34.000 inhabitants) hopes:
- to improve the public lighting network and consequently improve the road and pedestrian traffic safety;
- to enhance, through adequate lighting, the historic urban center;
- to improve the usability of urban parks;
- to meet the regulatory compliance;
- to make the network "smart" by implementing a video surveillance system.
The intervention provides for the improvement of the luminous efficiency of lighting fixtures of any type and shape, with the reduction of light pollution that the current system produces and disperses, adopting the most appropriate technical solutions and in harmony with the most technological systems currently proposed on the market.
The intervention responds to the Emilia-Romagna Region law on the way to contrasting the irrational use of outdoor lighting.
Restoration of the main square (piazza Calcagnini): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek8Khbvo11g
The project is managed by Public Works and Environment Services and the Local Police of the Municipality of Formigine.
Project partner as designer is the Energy and Sustainable Development Agency of Modena, a legally recognized non-profit association and also an energy services company (ESCO).
In order to pursue the objective of reducing energy consumption and enhancing the main points of interest in the city (main square, XIII century Castle, ect.) the Municipality established a concession of the public lighting system according to the innovative Energy Performance Contract (EPC) formula, which provides for the redevelopment and management of public lamps by a private company. The concession will last 15 years and provides for the elimination of 50 light points, the replacement of the remaining 6.123 lighting points, currently operating with low and high pressure sodium lamps, with LED lamps, which currently achieves remarkable quality and efficiency values with a parallel decrease in equipment purchase costs.
The advantages of the contract are a significant economic saving, to the benefit of municipal cash, and the implementation of optic fiber which, in addition to connecting the cameras (nr. 150) and access points, allow the supply of high-speed internet services to schools and to public buildings.
In 2015, 6.173 light points were managed by the Municipality of Formigine, with an average consumption of 633.40 kWh / per light point. After the redevelopment, annual consumption will decrease from 3.910 to 1.181 MWh / a with a reduction in consumption of 2.729 MWh/a (69,8% of saving).
The electrical loads consist of street lighting and street furniture luminaires equipped with a lighter and variable power supply depending on the type of power supply system, so that this solution is open to the management of remote control systems and for the "smartization" of the system. All the control panels will be equipped and managed, for switching on and off, by the astronomical clock in order to avoid unplanned switch-on that usually take place because determined by adverse meteorological conditions.
Next steps:
The results achieved by the action are:
The co2 reduction is distributed as follows:
- Buildings and public lighting: 9.384 t (12,3%);
- Transport: 42.423 t (55,7%);
- Renewable energy sources: 12.884 t (16,9%);
- Green: 40 t (0,1%);
- Urban planning: 3.496 t (4,6%);
- Information and communication: 1.474 t (1,9%);
- Microclimate: 6.441 t (8,5%)
Tot. 76.142 (31,4%) on the EU goal of 48.574 (20%)
"For public lighting we choose to adopt innovative solutions with high technological content - says Mario Agati, Councilor delegated to the Smart City - The light sources used up to now have high consumption, are difficult to manage and their heterogeneity tends to create light pollution".
"This approach - says Mayor Maria Costi - has allowed, with a single contract, to obtain several advantages, including the one that Formigine will achieve in advance, in terms of co2 emissions, the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The City of today requires a new, more dynamic and sustainable vision. A cleaner environment is the direction in which we are heading towards".
The advantages and benefits of the action for the citizens concerned are manifold and differentiated, such as the fact that improving the energy efficiency of public lighting systems also means actively contributing to the reduction of Co2 emissions; moreover, the improvement of street lighting will bring with it as a consequence the improvement of the safety of road and pedestrian traffic; with the installation of adequate lighting, the monuments and architectural beauties of the historic city center will be enhanced, thus improving the territorial attractiveness; even urban parks, with adequate lighting, will be more attractive and will improve their usability by citizens; finally, the "smarting" on public lighting networks also means that in critical points of the territory it has been possible to install video surveillance systems for more effective control of citizens' safety.
In particular, the video surveillance system has been designed in collaboration with the local Police allowing particular attention to public and potentially sensitive places and green areas frequented mainly by children and the elderly. It will become much easier to locate suspicious vehicles, stolen cars, identify license plates and then go back to any missed insurance payments, in addition to having information about vehicles in transit on the Formiginese territory and obtain information useful for different types of investigation.
The action started in 2015 and is still ongoing, it took much time and resources, but it demonstrates that with new technologies it is possible to save money and reduce consumption and pollution. The Municipality of Formigine chose to carry out the EPC project and at the same time the restoration of the city's main square in front of the XIIIcentury Castle in order to make the city safer and more attractive not only for citizens but also for tourists.
The action contributes to the reduction in pollution, thus improving the general score of the Municipality of Formigine for the improvement of the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors and 2030 Agenda goals. The installation of video surveillance systems requires an integrated action with the local police for data management. Smart light points will be able to act as hot spots of other services (air quality control units, abandoning waste, theft, etc.). The Municipality of Formigine is part of the Union of Municipalities of the Ceramic District and in the future the project could be extended to the other member Municipalities.
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
European Secretariat
Leopoldring 3
79098 Freiburg
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 761 – 368 92 0
Fax: +49 (0) 761 – 368 92 19
E-mail: info@sustainablecities.eu
Website: www.sustainablecities.eu