Brasov, ROMANIA, November 5, 2019

Located on the slope of the Murge plateau, Grottaglie is marked by the presence of ravines and caves, with a historical center dug directly into the tufo (the rock made of volcanic ash). The city has around 33.000 inhabitants, covering ​​102 square km. With a history rooted in the Paleolithic, you can still see in Grottaglie buildings dating back to the 13-th century and narrow streets, olive trees and Mediterranean vegetation are characteristics of this small city in the Salento peninsula.

Aiming for energy savings and improved maintenance efficiency, Grottaglie has chosen inteliLIGHT’s street lighting control due to a combination of technical characteristics and local support. The project was presented, demonstrated and implemented locally by ENGIE Italy, recommended by an excellent track record for energy management and services in the region. The solution, on the other hand, had custom characteristics, available only with inteliLIGHT®: combining LoRaWAN® and GSM communications into a hybrid installation that provides both lamp-level and segment-level awareness and control.

The solution uses embedded controllers, hidden inside the lamp, avoiding any visual impact and conserving the lamp’s architectural output. The inteliLIGHT® FRE-220-M-L embedded LoRaWAN™ compatible luminaire controllers provide unprecedented intelligence for any street lighting fixture, right from the production line. Designed to minimize occupied space, the controllers can be embedded into most luminaire designs, allowing any producer to offer LoRaWAN™ ready smart lighting fixtures.

Furthermore, the LoRaWAN® compatible controllers (recommended because of the low building density in Grottaglie) use available local LoRaWAN® connectivity and does not require any civil works, reducing significantly the implementation time, cost and complexity.

For the lighting panel control, inteliLIGHT® FRCM control&monitoring units use GSM connectivity, as this technology provides better penetration at street level, with a higher bitrate for real-time feedback and lamp control. The GSM connectivity is included with Flashnet’s controllers: 10 years of 2G, 3G or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) data connectivity, available in the EU, Norway and Switzerland, with only a cost of slightly higher energy consumption. This solution provides a reliable, carrier-grade, hassle-free communication option: no contracts, no invoices, no additional expenses.

On the other hand, LoRaWAN™ is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) that provides bi-directional RF communication. It works over unlicensed radio frequencies and can be installed privately or used with an existing public service, connecting thousands of controllers in a radius of up to 10km for every base station.

The project also includes 10 years of licensed use for inteliLIGHT Streetlight Control. The software integrates perfectly with inteliLIGHT® controllers and communication devices and is also compatible with any other open-protocol hardware solution available on the market (third party end devices using PLC, LoRaWAN™, 2G/ 3G/ LTE, NB-IoT or Sigfox). Also, it provides API connectivity and integrations with most Smart City applications: the first step for a better city, today.

A global energy and services group, focused on three core activities: low-carbon power generation, mainly based on natural gas and renewable energy, global networks and customer solutions. In 2018, ENGIE announced the acquisition of 60% of Flashnet, a Romanian Internet of Things (IoT) company. Thanks to its solutions, many cities, both large and small, already enjoy all the benefits of smart public lighting networks. Learn more on www.engie.com.

FLASHNET is a fast-paced tech company that integrates the latest IT, energy and telecommunications technologies into hardware and software solutions, creating and implementing intelligent systems for smarter cities and better infrastructure. Founded in 2005, FLASHNET is a leader in intelligent utility management systems, with worldwide operations. (www.flashnet.ro)

inteliLIGHT® is a smart street lighting control solution that offers detailed lamp-level management capabilities (ON/OFF, dimming, real-time reporting) over multiple IoT communication technologies. In-depth grid awareness is obtained through accurate utility-grade readings of any changes occurring along the grid, reducing energy loss and offering advanced maintenance optimization tools. Furthermore, inteliLIGHT® is integrated with Smart City management platforms and offers support for further Smart City development. (www.inteliLIGHT.eu)