The market for street lighting is in a period of dramatic transformation. New lamp options have recently become available for street lights, most notably light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and the advent of networked systems for central monitoring and control is enabling a range of intelligent management and energy savings options. According to a new report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant's Energy Practice, unit shipments of LED lamps for street lights will rise from fewer than 3 million in 2012 to more than 17 million in 2020.

"LED lamps allow for better dimming control than standard street lights, and their electronics allow for easy integration of control nodes," says senior research analyst Eric Woods. "Rising sales of LED lamps will therefore drive up the adoption of smart street lighting systems, which promise to bring new levels of control and efficiency to the illumination of our cities, communities, highways, and public spaces."

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.

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. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Pike Research website.

About Pike Research

Pike Research, which joined Navigant's global Energy Practice on July 1, 2012, provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The team's research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Smart Grid, Smart Transportation, Smart Industry, and Smart Buildings sectors. Additional information about Pike Research can be found at www.navigant.com/pikeresearch.