A New Approach to Street Lighting Design through Led Technology and Optical System Optimization

The transition from traditional lighting technologies such as High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MHL) to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) has significantly transformed street lighting design. Beyond higher luminous efficacy and energy savings, modern LED luminaires incorporate a variety of optical components, including lenses, reflectors, glare limiters, and anti-reflective glass, enabling precise light distribution and improved visual comfort. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of street lighting evolution through LED technology, focusing on a typical tertiary road in Greece. Eight cases are analyzed using combinations of glare control, upper limit of lighting class, and tilt limit, with four lighting sources: HPS, MHL, and LEDs matched to their respective correlated color temperatures. Optimization was carried out for LED drive currents and luminaire selection across large photometric databases. Results show that LED systems, when properly optimized, significantly outperform conventional technologies in terms of spacing efficiency, energy consumption, and compliance with modern standards. This evolution is not only technological but also regulatory, as standards are adapting to the capabilities of advanced LED systems. The findings support the adoption of optimized LED solutions as a sustainable and performanceoriented approach in contemporary road lighting design.