Moldova: presentation on 30/11/2018 of smart lighting in Ocnita city

Following the inauguration in Cantemir, the EU project: ”Green Light Moldova! Modernization and energy efficiency in street lighting" turn on the smart lighting in the city of Ocnita on 30th November. This project was implemented with the financial support from the European Union within the Covenant of Mayors - Demonstration Projects Program. The total cost of the project in Ocnita is 250 000 Euro, 80% of which (200 000 €) is the grant of the European Union, the remaining 50 thousand euros (20%) are funds allocated from the local budget of Ocnita municipality and the Energy Efficiency Fund.

The city of Ocnita is one of the signatories of EU Initiative: Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. This has helped the city with a population of 7,000 people to receive a grant and become a demonstrative site which might be an example for other cities willing to implement similar initiatives. By signing the "Covenant of Mayors", Ocnita has committed to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption by 20% by 2020.

As a result of the project 386 lamps were replaced with new energy-efficient LED lamps on 27 streets, including the main street, some streets in the residential area and those adjacent to the railway station, which is the hallmark of the city. In addition, socially significant places such as a bus station, a park, a kindergarten and an access to the district hospital were included as part of the modernization project.

Old street lamps (mercury type), with a power of 125-300 W, were replaced with 30-70-watt LED lamps with a lifetime of 13 years and an in-built smart control system, therefore reducing the energy consumption but offering the same, if not better, quality of light.

The experts from the Alliance for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (AEER), as the main partner of the project, note that the street lighting system in the city before the project implementation was deplorable: some of the lamps did not work while others did not meet the existing norms. As a result of the measures taken, the level of street lighting was adjusted to meet the standards, which allows saving 30% (19 MWh) of electricity per year compared to the previous situation, or about 80% of the energy consumption that would have been necessary if using old type lamps. This is especially important for fulfilling Ocnita’s climate objectives as this will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 154 tons per year, which is the equivalent of planting 7,000 trees.

According to local experts the replacement of old inefficient lamps with modern LED lamps might save up to 50,000 lei/year in the local budget.

The newly installed smart system allows the street lighting operators to control and monitor the work of street lights remotely, through the GSM mobile networks, without leaving the work place and saving time on resolving the emergency situations. By pushing a few buttons it is possible to change the schedule and the level of lighting intensity where and when desired, depending on the time and utilization of the street and in accordance with existing norms.

The inauguration ceremony in Ocnita brought together over 30 participants including the management of Ocnita municipality, Ocnita District, Energy Efficiency Fund, AEER experts, mayors from Ungheni, Drochia, Cantemir, Riscani, energy suppliers, media representatives and citizens of Ocnita.