Harmonic impact of the large-scale conversion of public lighting

Latest generations of streetlights have been designed to support and integrate a number of features conducive to Smart Cities. LED streetlights now contain sensors, controls, wireless transmitters and microprocessors. These streetlights are gaining popularity and being deployed in large scale, eventually replacing all lighting throughout a city. The general conception is that electronic loads are harmonic sources, which can disturb the operation and supply of an electric utility. It is important for utilities to understand the true impact of this conversion program on the Power Quality. This paper studies the harmonic characteristics of LED streetlights on both individual and collective scales. On an individual level, the harmonic signature of several types of modern LED streetlights are collected and reported. On a collective level, a real case study of a large-scale deployment is studied. Real measurement data were collected during the streetlight conversion program in the city of Fort McMurray to analyze the impact on background harmonic voltage distortion. Results have shown it is unlikely LED streetlights will affect significantly the network voltage and current distortions.