Surge Protection for Intelligent Light Pole

Intelligent LED Street Lights

Today's increased reliance on very sensitive electronics makes surge protection an important topic for LED Lighting. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety study found that $26 billion dollars was lost due to non-lightning power surges. In addition, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the US each year that cause between $650M to $1B in losses according to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm©.

Smart poles are also known as intelligent light poles include many other facilities apart from lighting including, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Charger points, Environmental Sensors, Security Cameras as well as LED information displays.

The aim behind Smart Pole initiatives is to improve urban life through more sustainable integrated solutions and addresses city-specific challenges from different policy areas such as energy, security, mobility and transport, and Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. The high cost of Smart Pole implementation and the potential for damage due to power surges and lighting strikes make surge protection an imperative in assuring reliable and long-term operation of Smart Pole systems.

Immunity Against Surges

The latest release of ANSI C136.2-2017 provides surge protection requirements for luminaires and control devices. Based on performance requirements and transient immunity testing, these devices can be classified into three categories:

To maintain the expected ROI, end users should select luminaires that are designed, and fully tested to comply with ANSI C136.2-2017.

The ANSI C136.2-2017 standard can also be used as guideline for evaluating the surge immunity of other devices attached to the Smart Light Pole and in cases where internal protection is insufficient a reccommended Surge Protection Device should be installed to assure long and reliable performance.

LED Luminaire

This table shows the recommended C136.2-2017 transient immunity levels for common outdoor lighting applications:

Selecting the appropriate SPD

Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) shall be UL1449 Type 4CA or better including Type 1, Type 2, Type 1CA and Type 2CA. Per ANSI C136.2-2017, it should be tested to the appropriate exposure level based on the application or installed location.

The UL1449 Type 4CA Surge Protective Devices (SPD) have undergone more stringent safety testing than UL1449 Type 5 Components including the critical abnormal overvoltage - limited current testing.

The LED luminaire is tested to ANSI C136.2-2017 with the SPD installed. The coordination of the SPD is key in making sure that the luminaire and control devices pass testing and not only the SPD passes by itself. CITEL can provide manufacturers with full C136.2 surge testing for all exposure levels in our surge laboratory in Miramar, FL.

Recommended Surge Protectors for
Intelligent Lighting Pole with 5G Wireless Radio

Recommended Surge Protectors for Intelligent Light Poles

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
Smart Light Pole	Primary Power Supply to Pole	277Vac	MLPXUVG-277S
	Luminaire	120-277Vac	MLPXUVG-277S
	AC Power Tap	120-277Vac	MLPXUVG-277S
	5G Radio Wireless	POE Mode A Cat. 6A	MJ8-POE-A
	Security Camera	POE Mode A Cat. 6A	MJ8-POE-A
	Environmental Sensing Station	48Vdc Input ​	DS230S-48DC
		4-20mA	DLA-24D3
		RS-485	DLA-24D3

Recommended Surge Protectors for
Intelligent Light Pole with 4G Wireless Radio

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
Smart Light Pole	Primary Power Supply to Pole	277Vac	MLPXUVG-277S
	Luminaire	120-277Vac	MLPXUVG-277S
	AC Power Tap	120-277Vac	MLPXUVG-277S
	4G Radio Wireless	Up to 6.9GHz	P8AX09-6G-N/FF
		48Vdc Input Power ​	DS230S-48DC
	Security Camera	POE Mode A Cat. 6A	MJ8-POE-A
	Environmental Sensing Station	48Vdc Input Power ​	DS230S-48DC
		4-20mA	DLA-24D3
		RS-485	DLA-24D3

References