Internet of Things (IoT)-based, Solar Powered Street Light System with Anti-vandalisation Mechanism

This paper presents an Internet of Things (IoT)-based solar powered street lighting system with anti-vandalisation mechanism that focuses on power conservation, energy efficiency, automation and intelligence, as well as vandalisation monitoring and tracking. Specifically, the system is a standalone solar PV system which is self-powered. It automatically switches the street light ON and OFF utilizing the light dependent resistor (LDR) and saves power by utilizing infrared sensor (IR) together with the microcontroller to dim and brighten up the LED as at when required thereby increasing the life span of the lighting module. In addition, the system is designed with a vandalisation monitoring/tracking mechanism and a user interface (UI) where the street light communicates with the people and devices at the control station via Wi-Fi module. This is achieved with the ESP8266MOD Arduino WiFi module which serves as the brain of the system. Also, a 32-bit LED array is the module used for lighting. When the LDR senses darkness, the system automatically turns ON the light to the “FULL BRIGHT” state. During peak hours, from 11pm, when the traffic is decreased, the light switches to the “DIM” state. On sensing vehicular movement, the light switches back to the “FULL BRIGHT” state till the vehicle passes. Subsequently, when the LDR senses enough brightness, the light is switched “OFF”. Also, the system senses the presence of a human (a possible vandal) at odd hours, from 11pm, and turns on an alarm system. It also alerts the person at the control station of a possible theft threat via the Wi-Fi. The system is also able to track the vandal using dual wireless network which is Wi-Fi and GSM via the concept of triangulation. The idea presented in this paper will enable researchers and practitioners to develop smart street lighting systems that can be efficient in power utilisation and at the same time effectively combat vandalisation of street light installations which is very rampant in many part of developing countries like Nigeria.