‘One-Watt’ traffic signals from Siemens

Small is big news on the Siemens stand as the company unveils its ultra-low consumption One-Watt technology for traffic lights. The move from incandescent bulbs to 230V LED lamp heads had seen an enormous reduction in power consumption (down from 60Watts per head to around 15W) but means the load resistors and switching elements in the signal units are often the biggest energy consumers.
April 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

Small is big news on the 189 Siemens stand as the company unveils its ultra-low consumption One-Watt technology for traffic lights. The move from incandescent bulbs to 230V LED lamp heads had seen an enormous reduction in power consumption (down from 60Watts per head to around 15W) but means the load resistors and switching elements in the signal units are often the biggest energy consumers.

With One-watt technology the use of 24V LEDs and digital driver modules has eliminated the need for load resistors and switching elements and means a complete signal head may require only one or two Watts to operate.

This provides huge benefits as a large city like Berlin can avoid some 2,000 tons of carbon emissions and save €500,000 in energy costs every year.

In cities still using conventional filament bulbs in their traffic lights, the potential savings are significantly higher and according to Siemens One-Watt technology traffic signals will typically pay for themselves in less than five years.

Furthermore, Siemens said its LED signals retain full light intensity and also reduce service costs and it monitors voltage, current and the luminosity of the LED units, adding that may become possible to predict when LED units will fail so enable preventative maintenance.

The first One-Watt pilot projects are running in Bolzano, Italy and in Bietigheim-Bissingen near Stuttgart in Southern Germany.

Related Content

  • August 4, 2015
    Survey: Majority of UK public remains worried about global warming
    A new survey of over 2,000 members of the public by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and ICM Unlimited has found that 57 per cent of the public are worried about global warming, with 14 per cent saying they were ‘very worried’. The poll found that 64 per cent of people think global warming is already a problem now, while 70 per cent said they think global warming will be a problem in 20 years’ time. The main issues the respondents said they were worried about were flooding and sea level rises (63
    Read More
  • June 7, 2012
    Camera technology a flexible and cost-effective option
    Perceptions of machine vision being an expensive solution are being challenged by developments in both core technologies and ancillaries. Here, Jason Barnes and David Crawford look at the latest developments in the sector. A notable aspect of machine vision is the flexibility it offers in terms of how and how much data is passed around a network. With smart cameras, processing capabilities at the front end mean that only that which is valid need be communicated back to a central processor of any descripti
    Read More
  • October 6, 2015
    Mitsubishi’s shows big video wall solution
    The familiar sight awaits visitors to Mitsubishi Electric’s stand – that of a video wall comprising four 60-inch screens. But what is different is that the new wide-format LED display wall cubes use rear projection, are designed to work 24/7 with a lifespan of around 10 years, do not have a bezel and are about half the depth of the traditional units.
    Read More
  • July 24, 2012
    Adaptive traffic control drives financial benefits
    Prof. Klaus Banse, President of ITS Colombia and Ing. Robert Miranda, Head of the Traffic Management and Control System of Cartagena de Indias, Columbia, outline early cost benefits of an adaptive traffic control system. At the beginning of this year, Cartagena de Indias, located on the north coast of Colombia in the Caribbean, implemented a new adaptive traffic control system on 52 intersections with an investment of US$4.5 million.
    Read More

Highlighted Content