Smart Solar Streetlights Powered by Renewable Energy

Toronto and Mississauga drivers know that when you hear about clean tech, it means innovation married with energy efficiency. And it doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to saving money as well as the planet. We already know about the innovative solar road technology that’s keeping roads safer. Now in Las Vegas, there are streetlights that are powered by kinetic footstep pads, thanks to a clean tech company called EnGoPlanet.

Many of us plan our shorter routes and longer trips with WiFi hotspot locations in mind to enable connectivity on the go. Las Vegas was the perfect place for the tech startup to test its new streetlights that are LED and powered by Photovoltaic panels as well as foot pads that are kinetic and absorb the energy of pedestrians’ footsteps. Both ingenious and perfectly suited to the sunny Nevada climate, the solar and kinetic energy stations created by EnGoPlanet also run security cameras and local WiFi hotspots.

Outfitted with a battery, the LED streetlights create a beautifully lit up Boulder Plaza right in downtown Las Vegas. Using a photovoltaic panel to charge up the battery in the dark, it has charging stations to ensure ongoing power. Footstep-powered kinetic pads located in walkways frequented by pedestrians also charge the batteries at night or on cloudy days. Three micro-generators connected to the kinetic pads create between 4-8 watts of energy for each footstep.

These standalone units aren’t even connected to a grid, and can be monitored by city workers who check the battery levels and monitor them. They even change the LED light colours on special days or at events. Both air quality monitoring and smart analytics are enabled by sensors in the units to measure the foot traffic.

According to Petar Mirovic, EnGoPlanet CEO, the company has plans to introduce similar installations in New York and on the Strip. “We think this can be a good substitution or alternative to traditional streetlights”, he said. With over 100 million metric tons of CO2 generated by streetlights annually, every small bit that helps reduce emissions helps us all.