LED best fit for energy-hungry smart cities

Energy efficiency is critical to sustaining smart cities, especially as the levels of urbanisation are expected to increase, and light-emitting diode- (LED-) technologies will be a key component, says electronic multinational Philips Lighting Southern Africa GM Reggie Nxumalo. “As much as 78% of electricity is consumed by cities worldwide, despite a significantly smaller portion of people than this living within cities. While this figure does indicate the relative energy poverty in rural settlements, energy efficiency and energy-efficient lighting are, consequently, crucial to enable the growth of cities.”