OREANDA-NEWS. The City of Los Angeles and GE Lighting are moving forward with an expanded pilot program to measure the performance of a GE LightGrid™ Outdoor Wireless Controller that GE expects to introduce later this year. The decision follows the successful completion of a preliminary trial and aims to give the city more experience in adding LightGrid controllers to existing light poles, and more data on complete system performance from the controls to GE’s central management software.

“The City of Los Angeles has led the nation in the installation of energy-efficient LED light fixtures and remote monitoring units,” says Ed Ebrahimian, director, Bureau of Street Lighting, City of Los Angeles. "Based on our latest evaluation of remote monitoring and control technologies, we are proceeding with a large scale pilot installation and evaluation of the GE system.”

GE’s proprietary LightGrid technology allows remote monitoring of most streetlights. Individual controllers twist easily into standard NEMA sockets on roadway fixtures and provide a visual indication of connection to the LightGrid network. Energy usage and lighting data are then continually reported to a central management system that is accessed by users through a Web-based experience. Armed with detailed analytics of its street lighting system, a municipality can in turn implement smarter energy saving strategies through more precise ‘on/off’ and dimming schedules, particularly during middle-of-the-night operation in low traffic areas.

“GE’s ability to connect our newest roadway lighting systems technologies and utilize analytic capabilities help municipalities drive customer cost savings, predict and prevent problem areas, while improving overall performance for a brighter, faster and safer world,” says Jaime Irick, general manager – North America professional solutions. “Los Angeles’ ambitious approach to street lighting, led by Ed Ebrahimian, is a model for cities everywhere.”

GE’s LightGrid Outdoor Wireless Controllers could eventually be deployed to the majority of Los Angeles’ more than 140,000 LED streetlights.