The City of Greater Geelong in partnership with Powercor is proud to announce the near-completion of the transformative LED Street Lighting and Smart Control Project marking a major milestone in the region’s journey toward sustainability safety and smart city innovation.

Over 4.5 years more than 22 000 outdated and inefficient street lights have been replaced with energy-efficient LED fittings equipped with smart control technology making it the largest council-led smart lighting rollout in Australia. This upgrade includes:

14 500 residential lights (Category P)

5 100 main road lights (Category V)

2 500 decorative lights

The new lighting system has delivered annual operational savings of approximately $2.2 million while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 3 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) per year. Additionally lighting compliance and safety have been significantly improved in high-risk areas.

The new LEDs are up to 82 per cent more energy efficient than the previously used mercury vapour street lights and are already in use across several other municipalities in Victoria.

A key feature of the project is the integration of smart controllers and the development of a Central Management System (CMS) enabling remote monitoring and adaptive lighting control. This system being developed in collaboration with Powercor is scheduled for commissioning by late 2025.

Powercor who own and maintain the majority of the region’s street lights have played a pivotal role throughout the project. Their continued partnership ensures the long-term success and maintenance of the smart lighting infrastructure.

Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM

This smart LED technology not only improves public safety and lighting quality but also dramatically reduces our energy use and carbon footprint.

The partnership with Powercor has been instrumental in delivering this transformation and the smart control system opens the door to future Smart City innovations.

Chair of the Environment and Circular Economy portfolio Councillor Elise Wilkinson  

The scale of this project sets a benchmark for other councils across the country and highlights the City’s commitment to innovation and environmental leadership.

Powercor’s public lighting asset manager Noel Twyman  

We now have more than 80 per cent of our public lighting network transitioned to LED which delivers more efficient lighting and reduced maintenance costs for our customers.

The smart technology in these lights will enable real-time management of our public light network not just for the City of Greater Geelong but ultimately all councils across our network.

Congratulations to the City of Greater Geelong for embarking on this incredible project for their communities.

The City is currently exploring further opportunities to optimise the smart lighting system including adaptive lighting designs that could yield additional environmental and financial benefits.