Civic monitoring report
INTERVENTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SIRMIONE
Sent on 9/03/2024 | By Classe 5A CAT
| @5aBazoli
What we found out
Project objectives Tweet
The monitored project concerns interventions to improve the energy efficiency of the lighting systems in the municipality of Sirmione. Sirmione is also known for its geographical position and its significant landscape qualities which make it a place with a strong tourist vocation. The project is completely finished and was chosen for the large amount of money needed for its construction; furthermore, over 40% of the funds come from the European Union: an important figure, a reason for our curiosity (€ 489.596,28).
The project is certainly important for improving the liveability and accessibility of the population towards the town.
The monitoring aims to find out if the interventions that have taken place have actually been applied and if they have had a positive response towards the citizens who live in Sirmione every day.
Foreseen activities
The project concerns the topic of energy with reference to public lighting. The title of the project is "INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SIRMIONE" . The main goal of the project was to promote opportunities for local development through the activation of production chains linked to the increase of the share of energy produced from renewable sources and to energy saving by replacing lights with more efficient ones ( they replaced about 4000 light bulbs and 700 light points).
Project origin
The project originated thanks to various funds:
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the main financial instruments of the EU cohesion policy. It was created in order to reduce the disparities existing between the different levels of development of European regions and to improve the standard of living in the less favored regions.
Structural Funds relating to the 2007-2013 programming, these programs have mainly financed measures dedicated to the strengthening and qualification of human resources, improving access to employment, participation in the labor market and social inclusion.
Furthermore, the POR CRO FESR LOMBARDIA program aims to support the Lombard socio-economic system, therefore strengthening, for example, the axes of Energy, Sustainable Mobility, Protection and enhancement of natural and cultural heritage and Technical Assistance.
The planning body of the project was the Lombardy Region, while the implementer was the Municipality of Sirmione, which also carried out the task of implementation.
Beneficiaries
The people who benefit from the project are citizens or tourists who go out and visit the city in the evening;
Since the project is a service mainly used during the night hours, all those people who do not go out in the evening will be excluded.
Furthermore, the municipality of Sirmione also spoke about improving energy efficiency after the works carried out; they informed us of European standards which have the function of reducing light pollution and reducing the dispersion of light, through street lamps which have the function of directing the light rays only downwards and not upwards; these works have brought many advantages including reducing light pollution, but above all reducing lighting costs.
Context
The needs of the Sirmione area that led to the creation and financing of the project are the reduction of light pollution and the containment of energy consumption. This project was chosen because there were still low energy efficiency systems in the area.
The objective was to transform part of the plants, the most energy-intensive ones, into new high-efficiency plants with a view to environmental sustainability and improving the environment. Sodium and mercury vapor lamps were polluting from the point of view of disposal and required a large amount of energy to operate.
It was therefore decided to replace the obsolete lamps with new generation LED bulbs, halving the power from 250/300 W to 75/150 W.
We identified a similar project on the open cohesion database relating to the service for the efficiency of public lighting systems, the electrical systems of municipal buildings and the energy supply in the municipality of Cazzago San Martino (BS).
Progress
We saw that the project has been concluded from the Opencoesione website and from the interview (of which we put the link below) with the municipal officials responsible for the project.
Results
We did a survey among all the people who are part of the educational institution. The result can be seen in the infographic at the link below and the result highlights an overall positive evaluation of the lighting service.
Weaknesses
One of the weaknesses identified in this project is the lack of attention given to reducing light pollution; more radical measures would have been needed to achieve a more visible effect. Turning, in fact, to the area where the operation was carried out, one can see how much this pollution is still present. In the following pictures, taken in the evening to check the efficiency of the surgery, some critical issues can be noted:
IMAGE 1: in the case under consideration, it can be observed that the height of the light point is excessive causing an increase in light pollution
IMAGE 2:in this case, however, we can observe how there is an excessive number of light points that lead to excessive illumination. One possible solution would be to place streetlights at a greater distance from each other and alternately on the sides of the road. Another possibility could be to arrange them in the mode only on the side of the road with the parking lot next to it and to prepare the lower ones on the sidewalk to illuminate the pedestrian crossing.
IMAGE 3: In this case, however, the illumination can be considered almost excessive for the area that is, where night traffic is very limited. A smaller number of light points would have been sufficient to illuminate the area adequately and thus reduce light pollution.
The second weak point identified is exposure to vandalism. The way the light points are placed, with mushroom mode, they are easily susceptible to vandalism and damage, whether intentional or not. Other options could be taken to try to reduce this risk, such as placing them alongside an existing wall or without them being raised from the ground to make it more difficult to damage them.
Strengths
Regarding the planning and implementation of this project, the thing I liked most was certainly the collaboration, in fact each student had to help/get help from someone else.
This is an often underestimated but fundamental aspect.
The positive aspects of this project were:
-The possibility of meeting helpful and competent people who managed to help us.
-We understood all the work that goes into something that we often think is simple, such as lighting.
-The possibility of being recognized as a class and school.
-Satisfaction with the final result.
Risks
Future risks for the monitored project could include:
- electrical system malfunctions, such as blackout
- extreme weather events
- traffic accidents
- inadequate maintenance
- vandalism or acts of sabotage
- inadequate design
- obsolete technologies
The above-mentioned risks should be considered as they are subject to ongoing innovations in public lighting systems.
Ideas and solutions
In order to improve the monitored project, one could intervene with works to make public lighting smart, one could use:
- sensors that detect the presence of people or vehicles and adjust the light intensity accordingly, so that the lights are switched on only when necessary. This reduces energy consumption without compromising the citizens’ safety, which is one of the criteria to be met for quality urban lighting. In fact, the number of accidents and thefts decreases significantly when the city is well lit because people associate light with security and feel more comfortable walking in a well-lit place. With this it is possible to optimize the use of energy, reducing costs and the environmental impact.
- energy efficient LEDs that reduce maintenance and operating costs due to their low energy consumption and long service life. (infographic about light efficiency linked below: https://infogram.com/comparison-between-led-and-carbon-filament-light-bulbs-1h1749wlkd7ll2z?live ; https://infogram.com/column-stacked-chart-1h7v4pdn93vv84k)
- centralized control systems that adapt the lighting to the specific needs of every moment of the day and allow you to monitor and manage the lighting in real time. This creates personalized lighting scenarios such as higher intensity lights during peak hours and lower intensity during less crowded night hours.
The use of these technologies optimizes energy efficiency and ensures adequate lighting according to the specific needs and conditions of each urban context. Smart street lighting can tangibly improve the quality of life in cities, as well as benefits in terms of energy savings, safety and reduced light pollution.
In addition to these measures, our proposal is to create playgrounds for children or public spaces with attractions for outdoor physical activity which will be connected to generators that power the lighting. The use of human movement to create electricity does not pollute further and it creates spaces where training in contact with nature increases the physical and mental health of people and also socialization.
Results and Impact of the monitoring
Dissemination of results
Connections
- Assessore, Comune di Sirmione
- Responsabile, Sirmione Servizi
Contacts with media outlets
Contatti con le Pubbliche Amministrazioni per discutere i risultati del Monitoraggio
We did not reach out to public administration
Description of the case
We did a survey between inhabitants of Sirmione about their knowledge about this public funding that the municipality has recived. We want to raise curiosity about this not well known project.
Investigation method
How was the information collected?
- Web research
- Interview with the users and/or final beneficiaries of the intervention
- Interview with people responsible for the project's implementation
Councillor ROBERTO CAMPAGNOLA and manager of Sirmione Services LORENZO ROSSI, that manage public lightning.
Main questions
Are you aware that this service has received funding from European funds?
How much do you think the improvement of the service has increased pedestrian safety?
Main answers
80% doesn't know about the European funds.
The majority is either enough or very satisfied about the service.