Intelligent lighting completed for the Grand Harbour area, with brightness controlled according to movement

30.09.2024 | The City of Kotka has implemented LED lighting with motion sensors supplied by Signify in the new public areas of the Kantasatama harbour.
The new solution will help save energy by automatically dimming the lighting when there are no visitors in the area, for example at night. Similarly, the system also brightens the lighting when it detects movement.

Kotka is one of the first cities in Finland to introduce smart lighting based on sensor technology. The solution was provided by Signify, the world’s leading lighting specialist.

The Interact system developed by the company is used to illuminate the Kantasatama area, which includes the Vellamo Marine Centre and the Satama Areena event centre. The area is also the site of the recently completed campus of the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences XAMK.

“As there is no residential area in the Kantasatama area, the need for lighting varies a lot, especially at night. Thanks to the new smart lighting system, we will save energy by not having the lights on unnecessarily when there are no visitors in the area. However, the lights will automatically brighten up when the system’s sensors detect movement. This brings safety to people moving around the area,” says Ilpo Rinne, an electrical engineer in the City of Kotka’s Technical Services Department.

A total of 137 lamps

137 luminaires are connected to the intelligent lighting control system, all equipped with motion-sensing sensors. The street lighting network is also equipped with camera technology to monitor parking.

“The cameras are not really used to monitor parking, but only to monitor the occupancy rate of the parking spaces,” explains Rinne.

The new system facilitates the maintenance work of the city’s technical services, as the status of the lights can be monitored and managed in real time online via an application. The system automatically sends alerts in case of any malfunctions.

“Smart lighting based on sensor technology is now being widely adopted around the world, and the City of Kotka is among the pioneers. One of the reasons for this is the desire to reduce urban light pollution. In the future, it will be possible to add other sensors to the system, for example to monitor air quality or noise levels,” says Liisa Teppo, Key Account Manager at Signify.

The Interact system enables the integration of the data collected by the sensors and the use of the information to support urban planning.

“In Kotka, we want to boldly experiment with new ways to reduce our carbon footprint. In the future, similar smart lighting solutions can also be used in residential areas,” says Rinne.