Two large-scale power outages have occurred in Taiwan in the past two years. Ignoring the suspension of work and daily life, the danger caused by the failure of street lights and traffic signals is even more difficult to estimate. In the blueprint for smart city development, we cannot help but start to imagine if batteries are everywhere in the city, will these crises be solved?
In March 2022, a major power outage in Taiwan made office workers unable to go to work. What was even more worrying was the failure of intersection signals causing traffic chaos and danger. According to statistics from the Kaohsiung City Police Department, on March 3, when power was cut off, traffic lights at 324 intersections were suspended. Despite the assistance of police and volunteers, 143 traffic accidents occurred that day, and 69 people were injured.
After nightfall, the electricity in some areas had not been restored which was surprising. The street lights that have long been used to silently illuminate the road also stopped working that day. The lack of lighting and no traffic signals made "crossing the road" almost a life-threatening situation.
Although we cannot prevent accidental power outages forever, there are still some emergency backup methods. In fact, the 6 major cities of Taiwan have started installing UPS systems at important intersections and interchanges successively since 2019, so that the signals can maintain operation in the event of an accident. Does this solve the problem?
Uninterrupted traffic signal power system
In simple terms, an UPS uses a battery to store power and continuously provide power in the event of an accident, giving users some buffer time. Since it is a battery, there is a problem with lifespan. Generally speaking, the industry recommends replacing these types of batteries every 2 to 3 years. Secondly, according to the Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau, it is currently estimated that UPS will be installed at 80 intersections. The rental fee for each module is approximately NT$70,000 the maintenance cost is quite high.
Taking the power supply conditions of Taiwan and the United States as an example, reliability can reach 99.9%. On average, there may be 8 to 9 hours of sudden power failures in a year. Although safety comes first, it is not possible to increase backup power without considering cost. Chen Kaotsun, an associate professor at the Department of Transportation at Central Police University, believes that there are more than 5,000 intersections in Kaohsiung alone and it is difficult to fully install an uninterruptible power system. So we need a smarter solution.
When batteries meet street lights
Kymco launched a design concept incorporating a Ionex electric scooter swap station with urban street lights. The minimalist Ionex convenient swap station is combined with the street lamp column to simplify the space and not look obtrusive. More importantly, this solution not only functions as electricity storage but also includes solar power panels on the column which can be used to supply street lights and traffic lights with renewable energy while provide the energy required for electric scooter riding and achieving carbon reduction benefits. Through continuous exchange and smart management, these batteries can maintain a healthy cycle and greatly extend their lifespan.
▲ lonex convenient power exchange station can be combined with street lights and traffic signals to light up smart cities in the form of "smart street lights.” Even if there is a sudden power supply problem, it can quickly reverse its power supply to street lights and traffic lights. The application of this new concept in convenient power exchange stations will debut at the 2022 Smart City Exhibition.
In contrast, more UPSs bring a larger cost burden and more batteries that need to be replaced. More smart street lights mean more willingness of citizens to switch to electric scooters and it is also convenient for riders to switch electricity. In the long run, it will be more helpful for the carbon reduction of the entire city and, at the same time, it can also take care of taxpayer wallets.
With the continuous advancement of lithium battery technology, the development of smart cities is gradually breaking away from the shackles of centralized power plants and wires and more diverse and flexible application methods have emerged one after another. By keeping traffic flowing smoothly, power exchange street lights can also simultaneously achieve the sustainable goal of improving green power and reducing carbon emissions. It can be said to be a smart solution to kill three birds with one stone.
（Image：Shutterstock）