India’s first automatic street-lighting system has been installed in the capital, Delhi, as part of a Rs200 crore ($44m) street lighting upgrade project.

The GPS monitoring and GPRS service-based system allows street lights to be switched on and off using an Internet-enabled central server located at the city centre.

Automatically turning the lights on and off according to the sunrise and sunset time, the system cuts down on manual or timer-based operations of street lights and reduces CO2
emissions.

The new lights are part of the project’s first phase covering 101km on 52 roads where 2,235 light poles have been erected, with the second phase covering an additional 157km and 107 roads due to finish by May.

Work is being carried out by a consortium of Dutch firm Phillips, and Indian firms BP Project and Sweka.