The government programme “Light up Poland” has been launched. It is an initiative that will accelerate the modernisation of road lighting infrastructure throughout Poland. “A call for applications is in progress, with more than one billion PLN available” reports the Ministry of Development and Technology (MRiT).
The programme concerns the modernisation of road lighting infrastructure throughout the country – replacing existing light fittings. An effective solution involves choosing highly energy-efficient LED lighting, synchronised with innovative management systems.
The estimated number of road lighting luminaires in Poland is around 3.4 million. The vast majority of these are energy-intensive sodium lighting of between 50 and 400 watts. Approximately 3 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity are consumed annually for lighting.
LED lighting has a long service life and low energy consumption. Changing luminaires will help local authorities generate savings that can be used for other projects. By improving the quality of lighting on roads, the safety and comfort of residents will also increase. Environmental issues are also important.
“It is estimated that thanks to the programme, municipalities will save more than PLN 1 billion in the course of the year, there will also be a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million tonnes and energy consumption by 1.58 TWh”, informs the deputy head of MRiT, Grzegorz Piechowiak.
Local governments of urban, urban-rural and rural municipalities – and inter-municipal associations can apply for support. The level of co-financing for the local authority will be 80 % of the investment value, with the commune’s own contribution of 20 %. The maximum amount of funding requested is PLN 4 million.
The introduction of modern lighting means that the network can be used for data transmission, the internet of things, air pollution monitoring, the installation of traffic surveillance devices and parking spaces, and the installation of simple vehicle charging stations.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński