Crime down and residents delighted after Penrith City Council deploys solar lights in large park
Client
Penrith City Council
Lighting Compliance
AS/NZS 1158.3.1 PP4
Project Overview
Located in one of the fastest-growing local government areas of Sydney, Robin Wiles Park in North St Marys features a playground, picnic tables, an open grass area and a shaded asphalt section. A walking track encircles the whole park. In an area with fairly high incidences of crime, residents reported feeling unsafe walking at night, and requested improved lighting. Penrith City Council applied for a public safety crime prevention grant and invited Leadsun to design the new lighting
Park with potential, in need of upgrades and more lighting
As part of a range of redevelopment work, the City of Penrith had commissioned an upgrade to the park, which was previously a large, under-utilised green open space adjacent to Ropes Creek corridor in the western Sydney suburb. The park’s path had only been partly lit along a small section near the playground, meaning the park was underutilised in the evenings and early in the morning.
Park’s path urgently needed lights for resident safety
Aside from having insufficient and inconsistent lighting, the park was also located in an area that suffered from high rates of crime and vandalism. Since the pathway became darker the closer it got to the bush, residents tended to only use the small playground area, which accounted for about 25 percent of the total space. The main goal was therefore to improve the liveability of the park and ensure residents felt safe and secure.
Council sees clear advantages of Leadsun’s grid-free, sustainable lighting
Already having a relationship with the Penrith City Council, Leadsun happily provided the lighting design and specifications for the grant application. Council knew the disadvantages of the digging, cabling and trenching required with traditional grid-connected lighting, as well as the clear advantages of Leadsun’s grid-free, sustainable lighting – including quick and easy installation, minimal disruption to the area, and the clear cost and environmental benefits.
Design challenges overcome, Leadsun lights create an evening-friendly public
After the grant application was successful, Leadsun’s engineering team designed an innovative smart lighting solution comprising 8 luminaires, power by 7 solar engines.
They were also able to design around a heavy tree canopy section of the path, overcoming this challenge through a master-slave set-up whereby a light under tree cover that does not get enough sun (and therefore does not warrant a solar panel) is connected via a safe low DC voltage underground cable to a master light. Built-in motion sensors also allow the lights to brighten when movement is detected, and fade down to a lower lighting level after, minimising intrusive light, saving power and extending battery life.
Ever since Leadsun’s lighting has been installed, crime is down and the residents now feel secure walking around the complete park pathway. They are out and about, more active, and feeling safer in this public space.
Leadsun system
- AE3 solar lights
- EZYlift Lowerable poles, hot dipped galvanized,
- Solar Module Size 460Wh 80W and 308Wh 55W
- LED output 10W
- System operation: Dusk to Dawn
- Autonomy: Adequate power storage for low solar exposure days e.g. cloudy days
- Asymmetrical light distribution and inbuilt PIR sensors
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