Santa Cruz de Tenerife boasts a total of 35,801 lighting points spread across its five districts. The sodium vapor luminaires will be replaced by 5,451 LED lights this year, alongside the restoration of 650 light columns over the next three years. This substantial initiative, part of an energy-saving plan, will see the City Council invest over three million euros to establish a Smart City in the area.
The announcement was made by Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez and Public Services Councillor Carlos Tarife, who emphasized that “this extensive light replacement represents the largest investment made in this area to date.” The transition will result in a 61% reduction in installed power, decreasing from the current 635,292 watts (W) to the planned 249,461 W. This will lead to energy savings of 1,689,940.66 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually, amounting to a yearly economic saving of €371,787 for the city and a reduction in carbon emissions of 437,695 kilograms per year.
Bermúdez highlighted that “the city council committed years ago to the mayoral pact and sustainable energy action plan to reduce CO2 emissions in the municipality. We continue to work towards these ambitious yet achievable goals.”
He further added, “Our commitment is to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, ultimately achieving carbon neutrality in the capital by 2050.”
Carlos Tarife mentioned that “in 2022, 14% of the city’s lights were replaced; this figure rose to 26% in 2023 and will reach 41% now. The objective is to have 50% replaced by 2027 and complete the transition before 2030.”
Moreover, he highlighted that “the new luminaires will feature a self-management system to quickly detect malfunctions and allow for remote management and adjustment of light levels, especially in areas such as tram intersections.”
Management
In this regard, Juan Fernando Cano, Head of Public Services at the Chicharrero City Council, emphasized that within this transition project, some lights will allow for point-to-point management. Notifications will be sent in case of malfunctions, and light durations can be adjusted by area to reduce costs in specific locations without physical intervention.
Furthermore, he revealed that “autonomous lights with a photovoltaic system will be installed in areas where connecting to the electrical grid is challenging, such as the María Jiménez neighbourhood. These lights will illuminate previously dark spaces, adding to the existing solar energy installations in Las Teresitas, Suculum, and Acorán parking lots.”
Therefore, among the more than 400 areas undergoing intervention, prominent locations for lighting changes include Islas Canarias, Ángel Guimerá, and Los Majuelos avenues, as well as Barrio Nuevo, Los Gladiolos, Weyler, Vistabella, and the Ofra district on the South Coast, among others.
Districts
Cano explained that the selection of areas for intervention was not random but based on a prior study highlighting areas with the highest energy consumption. For instance, in the Anaga district, 13.7% of the current 3,931 lighting points will be replaced, totaling 538 lights.
In the Centro-Ifara district, 20.9% of the existing 7,680 lights will be replaced, with 1,602 new lights planned. A notable example is the renovation of luminaires and columns on La Rosa Street after completion of renovation works.
In the Ofra-Costa Sur district, 17.0% of current luminaires will be replaced, involving the replacement of 1,019 out of 6,000 lights. In Salud-La Salle, the replacement rate will be 10.9%, with 1,208 lights out of 11,059 being changed. Finally, in the Southwest district, 15.2% of lights will be replaced, equating to 1,084 lights out of 7,131.
In October 2022, the Santa Cruz City Council signed a maintenance contract for the city’s 35,800+ lighting points and 300 control stations, aiming to expedite the lighting fixture renewal process. Since 2015, only 7% of lights have been replaced (2,619). With the new plan, more than double the previous replacements can be accomplished in one year.
