Signify is transforming an important highway in Gran Canaria into a smart highway with a light emitting diode (LED) lighting system that provides 2700K color temperature.
Gran Canaria is a small island off the African continent that includes several resorts and beaches that attract numerous tourists each year.
The goal is to provide smart lighting for viewing the night sky as required by the Canarian Observatories. This lighting will also help to reduce CO2 emissions and the island’s carbon footprint while improving road safety.
The smart lighting system was installed along the Gran Canaria South Highway that connects the island’s capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and its international airport on the south side of the island. The highway was initially illuminated in 1990 with Philips Traffic Vision streetlights and will be upgraded to Philips DigiStreet LEDs with Interact City connected lighting software.
Interact City can monitor the lighting in real time, collect and analyze data and assign maintenance tasks to technicians. The LEDs help drivers eliminate glare, improve visual comfort, offer greater uniformity of light distribution and render colors accurately.
The lights can be adjusted in real-time and can be manipulated for point-by-point management such as when an accident occurs it can brighten the lights where the vehicles have crashed or if no traffic is on the road, the lights can be dimmed by 30%.
In terms of why the Canarian Observatories need low light for night viewing, the Canary Islands have the darkest skies in Europe, offering a way for astronomers to view the stars without glare.
