Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-06-19 Origin: Site
2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Singapore's founding. Looking back at the development history of Singapore's streetlights, we can not only see the leap in urban lighting technology, but also deeply feel the importance of intelligence and environmental protection in improving urban life.
From gas lamps to electric lamps
Before Singapore's streetlights were fully powered by electricity in 1956, streetlights used gas for illumination, which was supplied to self cooling gas plants.
In 1864, gas lamps were first used to illuminate the streets of Singapore.
Kallang Gasworks, commonly known as Fire City, was built by Singapore Gas Company in 1862 to produce gas and light streetlights in the city. Until 1930, the gas produced by the factory was mainly used for street lighting.
From high-pressure mercury lamps to sodium lamps
The first electric light in Singapore was lit in 1906.
The invention of safe and convenient electric lights led to the phasing out of gas lighting systems. In 1956, Singapore's last gas street lamp entered history.
The chilled gas plant, built in 1862, was the first gas plant in Singapore. At the beginning of its use, coal was mainly used to produce gas and light the streetlights in the city. In the late 1980s, naphtha was used to produce coal gas. In 1956, household gas gradually replaced coal, and the gas from cooling gas plants entered thousands of households from the streets. At first, this huge 25 story iron barrel, blackened by coal smoke, was seen as a "ticking time bomb" by people, so the area was called the "Fire City". With the increasing demand for clean energy in Singapore and the aging of gas plant equipment, "Fire City" officially closed down and was demolished in 1998. (Straits Times).Instead, high-pressure mercury lamps with electrical functions were used, which were gradually replaced by sodium lamps. Because sodium lamps are more efficient, consume less power, and are brighter, but at a higher cost.
Sodium lamps are divided into low-pressure sodium lamps and high-pressure sodium lamps. Low pressure sodium lamps were introduced to Singapore as street lighting in 1969, but were quickly replaced by high-pressure sodium lamps. Since then, high-pressure sodium lamps have been used for street lighting worldwide.
In 1974, the Singapore Public Utilities Board began installing high-pressure sodium gas lamps on all major roads, as this could reduce the electricity consumption of street lamps by one-third. In the initial stage, only over 500 high-pressure sodium lamps were installed on downtown streets such as Nichols Avenue, Maxwell Road, Orchard Boulevard, Stanford Road, and Connaught Drive.
In 1975, under the "Brighter Street Lighting Plan," the Public Works Department (PWD) launched another project to upgrade streetlights as needed and with technological advancements, including increasing the number or adjusting the location of streetlights when roads were widened or converted into highways. Under this project, all high-pressure mercury lamps will gradually be replaced with high-pressure sodium lamps.
To save energy, the public utility bureau will also replace high lamp posts with shorter ones. Shorter lamp posts also have an additional advantage, as they are not obstructed by trees and can provide better lighting effects.
A streetlight system that automatically lights up and goes out based on climate and brightness
In 1987, in order to continue cost savings, the Public Utilities Board announced the implementation of a new street lighting system that would allow all street lights in Singapore to be turned on and off within one minute.
This system is called the Centralized Ripple Control System, which is an electrical remote control system that eliminates the need to install additional cables between the transmitter and receiver. The receiver can receive encoded signals to control the on/off of street lights, and the implementation of this system will save up to SGD 200000 annually.
In addition, this system can also enable street lamps to adapt to climate changes and turn on and off lights appropriately based on measurements from photometric sensors.
From high-pressure sodium lamps to LED lamps
The unique yellow light of street lamps that we are familiar with comes from high-pressure sodium lamps. Although high-pressure sodium gas lamps provide beautiful warm tones and are low-cost, they perform poorly in presenting colors and details of things. These functions are crucial and life-threatening when driving at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour on highways.
The white light source of LED can more accurately present the color of objects, helping drivers to see road conditions more clearly at night. In addition, LED lights are directional and can evenly distribute light on the road, avoiding light shining on other areas such as residential areas next to the road.
Since 2014, the Land Transport Bureau has been converting some street lights to LED street lights. By early 2023, the agency announced that it had completed the replacement of 99% of the 110000 streetlights under its jurisdiction and would continue to replace old streetlights on old roads handed over by other government departments. In response to a forum letter in 2020, the Land Transport Bureau stated that the characteristics of these LED lights have improved road safety.
In addition, compared to traditional high-pressure sodium lamps, LED lights have an energy efficiency about 25% higher and a brightness 30% higher, making LED street lights more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
The amount of maintenance required has also been reduced, as the average lifespan of LED street lights can reach 10 years. In contrast, the service life of high-pressure sodium lamps is usually only three years. The advantages of these LED lights greatly save costs. Lujiao stated in 2023 that switching to LED street lights has reduced the annual energy consumption of street lighting by approximately 27 million kilowatt hours, resulting in cost savings of approximately SGD 5 million to SGD 7.5 million annually.
Former Minister of Transportation Yi Huaren responded to a congressional question in 2022, stating that most street lights emit a mixture of 3000K (Kelvin) warm white light and 4000K brighter white light. He also said at the time that the blue light emitted from this mixed light had "lower intensity" and had the least adverse effects on human health. He also revealed that the color temperature of Singapore street lights varies depending on their location, such as the distance from residential areas. For non main roads, especially those in low rise residential areas, the Land Transport Bureau usually uses warm white light with a color temperature of 3000K. ”
Singapore's streetlights have undergone multiple stages of innovation and improvement, from the initial gas lamps to today's efficient and environmentally friendly LED streetlights. Each transformation reflects the pursuit of energy conservation, safety, and environmental friendliness. With the advancement of technology, street lamps have not only become tools for illuminating roads, but also a part of smart urban management.
It can be foreseen that Singapore's streetlights will continue to be driven by innovation, illuminating every road and every night.
