Date of Award

2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Systems Engineering

Department

Mechanical, Industrial and Systems Engineering

First Advisor

Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi

Abstract

This research was conducted to gain insight into energy efficient streetlight conversions through the integration of light-emitting diode (LED) technology and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Existing streetlight technology utilized in Rhode Island was examined and found to be primarily high-pressure sodium (HPS) luminaires. Models for a standalone LED streetlight conversion and an ITS integrated LED streetlight conversion were developed. A detailed engineering economic analysis was conducted to build a business case for the future of streetlights in Rhode Island. It was found that both an LED streetlight conversion and an ITS integrated LED streetlight conversion were economically viable given current energy, hardware, installation, and maintenance costs. An LED streetlight conversion yielded the strongest twenty-year net present value (NPV) and had a favorable incremental internal rate of return (ΔIRR). However, an LED streetlight conversion with ITS integration maintained favorable investment performance metrics while offering additional benefits associated with traffic and environmental data collection. Allowing the ITS to turn off streetlights when no traffic is present could offset operational energy cost in some environments, but that was not the case for Rhode Island highways analyzed in this study.

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