Today, the rapid growth of cities and the increasing energy demand make it necessary to re-evaluate road lighting systems in terms of both safety and energy efficiency. Road lighting is critical to the safety, aesthetics, and accessibility of cities. Many existing road lighting infrastructures suffer from problems such as high energy consumption, low efficiency, increased maintenance costs, and environmental impacts.
Moreover, despite technological advances, lighting systems in many cities have not been sufficiently optimized. This poses a significant problem for the sustainable use of energy resources and the reduction of carbon emissions. This study presents a comparative analysis of the technical, economic, and environmental impacts of street lighting lamps powered by the electricity distribution grid, solar street lamps, and off-grid solar power plants.
This analysis demonstrates that renewable energy-based systems offer advantages in both energy efficiency and sustainability. The study will be an important guide for municipalities, construction companies, and urban planners, who want to choose the most appr 1. Manolescu, A., Sisak, F. LED source, a comparative analysis on lighting efficiency // 2016 International Conference and Exposition on Electrical and Power Engineering (EPE), Iasi, Romania, 2016, pp. 525–528,
2. Donatello, S., Quintero, R.R., De Oliveira, G.C.M., Wolf, O., Van Tichelen, P., Van Hoof, V., Geerken, T. Revision of the EU green public procurement criteria for road lighting and traffic signals // Luxembourg: Publications office of the European Union; 2019. ISBN 978-92-79-99077-9, https://doi.org/10.2760/372897
3. Gorgulu, S., Kocabey, S. An energy saving potential analysis of lighting retrofit scenarios in outdoor lighting systems: a case study for a university campus // J. Clean Prod. 2020:260, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121060
4. Demir, H., Çıracı, G., Kaya, R., Ünver, Ü. Aydınlatmada Enerji Verimliliği: Yalova Üniversitesi // Mühendislik Fakültesi DurumDeğerlendirmesi, Uludağ Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi, 2020, Vol. 25, # 3, pp. 1637–1652.
5. https://enerji.gov.tr/haber-detay?id=21324, (Access date: 03.06.2025).
6. Kessler, R.L. Street lighting and safety: A review of the effects of various lighting types on crime and accidents // Journal of Urban Safety, 2015, Vol. 11, # 4, pp. 123–136.
7. Abdullah, M. A., Noor, M.A. Energy efficient street lighting: A comparison of technologies // International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering, 2019, Vol. 10, # 2, pp. 199–206.
8. Hossain, J., Algeelani, N.A., Al-Masoodi, A.H.H., Kadir, A.F.A. Solar-wind power generation system for street lighting using internet of things // Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2022, Vol. 26, # 2, pp. 639–647.
9. Palacios-Intriago, V. B., Rezabala-Cedeño, D. D., Vera-Cevallos, W. L. LED lights and their impact on energy savings in a residential environment // International Journal of Engineering and Computer Science, 2024, Vol. 7, # 1, pp. 8–11.
10. Kocaman, B., Rüstemli, S. Comparison of LED and HPS luminaires in Terms of Energy Savings at Tunnel Lighting // Light & Engineering, 2019. Vol. 27, # 3, pp. 67–74.
11. Varsha Rangari, V., Kadam, A. R., Dhoble, S. J. LEDs Benefits and Challenges in Road Lighting // International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8, # 1, pp. 568–583.
12. Sutono, S., Albar, C.N. Analysis of solar powered public street lighting design (PJUTS) // Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 2025, Vol. 20, # 1, pp. 288–298.
13. Han, S., Li, C., & Zhang, F. Comparative study of energy efficiency and light quality of street lamps in urban areas // Journal of Sustainable Energy, 2019, Vol. 4, # 1, pp. 28–36.
14. Akindipe, D., Olawale, O.W., Bujko, R. Techno-Economic and Social Aspects of Smart Street Lighting for Small Cities – A Case // Study Sustainable Cities and Society, 2022, Vol. 84, # 103989, pp. 1–23.
15. Babatunde, M. O., Akinbulire, T. O., Oluseyi, P. O., Emezirinwune, M.U. Techno-economic viability of off-grid standalone PV-powered LED street lighting system in Lagos // Nigeria, African Journal of Science Technology Innovation and Development, 2019, Vol. 11, # 1, pp. 1–13.
16. Kocaman, B. Energy Effıcıency In Lighting For Historıcal Buildings: Case Study Of The El Aman Caravanserai In Provınce of Bitlis, Turkey // Light & Engineering, 2020, Vol. 28, # 4, pp. 68–76.
17. Nadweh, S., Mohammed, N., Mekhilef, S. Techno-Economical Evaluation of Photovoltaic-Powered Street Lighting Systems // 4th International Conference on Emerging Smart Technologies and Applications (eSmarTA), Sana'a, Yemen, 2024, pp. 1–8, doi:10.1109/eSmarTA62850.2024.10638949
18. Olajiga, O.K., Ani, E.C., Sikhakane, Z.Q., Olatunde, T.M. A Comprehensive Review of Energy-Efficient Lighting Technologies and Trends // Engineering Science & Technology Journal, 2024, Vol. 5, # 3, pp. 1097–1111.
19. Rüstemli, S., Kocaman, B., Avcil, S. Comparative Analysis of High-Pressure Sodium Vapour Luminaires with LED Luminaires in Tunnel Illumination // Light & Engineering, 2022, Vol. 30, # 4, pp. 87–96.
20. Kumar, S., Deshpande, A., Ho, S.S., Ku, J.S., Sarma, S.E. Urban Street Lighting Infrastructure Monitoring Using a Mobile Sensor Platform // IEEE Sens. J. 2016, Vol. 16, pp. 4981–4994.
21. Davidovic, M., Kostic, M. Comparison of energy efficiency and costs related to conventional and LED road lighting installations // Energy, 2022, Vol. 254, Part B 124299, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.124299.
22. Prakash, O., Kumar, S., Kumar, P. Applications of solar Photovoltaic's to power stand-alone area and streetlighting // IOP Conf. Ser. Mater Sci. Eng., 2021, Vol. 1104, # 1, p.012030, Mar. doi: 10.1088/1757-899x/1104/1/012030
23. https://www.ledlight365.com/en/news/5-Small-Tips-to-Improve-the-Efficiency-of-Solar-Street-Lights.html (Access date: 14.04.2025)
24. Sutopo, W., Mardikaningsih, I. S., Zakaria, R., Ali, A. A Model to Improve the Implementation Standards of Street Lighting Based on Solar Energy: A Case Study // Energies, 2020, Vol. 13, # 3, 630, pp. 1–20, doi:10.3390/en13030630
25. Anjali, Y. J., Aishwarya, B. K., Akshitha, Shruti, V. J., Lokeshwari, M. Solar Powered Automatic Street Light System, International Advanced Research // Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology, 2023, Vol. 10, # 5, pp. 241–249.
26. Ntawuhorakomeye, N., Ndayiragije L., Belov, M.P. Improved Design and Recommendations for Street Lighting in Gitega City // Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal, 2020, Vol. 5, # 6, pp. 1356–1365.
27. Rüstemli, S., Kocaman, B. Bitlis İlinin Sürdürülebilir Kalkınmasında Yenilenebilir Enerji Kaynaklarının Önemi // Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, 2023, Vol. 26, # 2, pp. 532–541, https://doi.org/10.17780/ksujes.1224587

• Previous article
• Next article

• energy efficiency
• energy savings
• LED
• renewable energy
• road lighting