20 years leading a revolution in street lighting
In 2005, when we founded ARQUILED, we were aware of the immense potential of LED technology, but few could have imagined the magnitude of the opportunities that were beginning to unfold and the radical transformation that would be unleashed.
Starting with scenic and architectural lighting, we immediately stood out for our innovation, signing iconic projects such as Casino Lisboa and the Troia Design Hotel, among others. This ability to innovate gave us our first growth boost and market recognition.
Throughout our journey, we have produced more than one million luminaires for hotels, museums, shopping centers and, above all, for streets and roads all over the world. In Portugal alone, we have more than eight hundred thousand luminaires installed on our roads, sidewalks, and gardens, making ARQUILED the market leader in LED street lighting.
LED, a revolution in street lighting
But why invest in street lighting? Simply because it became inevitable.
We are witnessing a global revolution in this infrastructure, only comparable to the electrification period, when electric lamps began to be installed on the streets of cities and villages around the world, and the simple streetlamp became part of our daily lives, quietly and silently.
At the end of 2011, EDP Distribuição reported that there were 3 million street lighting fixtures, accounting for 3% of national electricity consumption. Of these, 14.1% were mercury vapor lamps, a highly toxic substance that has since been banned by the EU. In other words, an inefficient, dangerous, and highly polluting infrastructure.
The window of opportunity for a radical transformation of the street lighting sector was wide open, but the necessary technology to make it happen had not yet arrived.
The spark that ignited the new lighting revolution was lit in 1994, when Shuji Nakamura, Isamu Akasak and Hiroshi Amano discovered the efficient blue LED, making it possible to produce white LED light for the first time and commercialize white LEDs a few years later.
LED luminaires are much more efficient, do not contain toxic materials and are significantly more durable. And, as with any semiconductor, costs drop drastically as the technology matures. Thus, from the 2010s onward, the wave of replacing conventional lamps with LED lamps intensified – first in our homes, then on our streets. Being well positioned, ARQUILED seized the opportunity and focused on producing innovative and affordable LED street lighting luminaires, achieving a second growth boost for the company.
Smart and Human-Centric Lighting
As a technology matures and develops, new possibilities emerge, and old practices are reconsidered. Why do we need light at 100% power in the middle of the night when there is almost no human activity? LED technology is inherently more efficient than conventional lamps, but the approach of turning lights on at night and off in the morning is extremely inefficient. Wouldn’t it make more sense to modulate light intensity according to real needs? This would not only avoid energy waste but also reduce levels of night-time pollution.
Smart lighting, with connected luminaires and remote management, made it possible to regulate light intensity, but also real-time monitoring, bidirectional management, service optimization, cost reduction, predictive maintenance, IoT integration, and additional benefits.
Another aspect of early white LED technology is its cold color temperature. This type of light emits a large amount of blue light, which is known to interfere with the circadian rhythm of people and animals, with studies even indicating disturbances in local ecosystems. In addition, the horizontal spread of these wavelengths is particularly high, increasing light pollution.
We must therefore seek to follow the principles of responsible street lighting. Fortunately, LEDs with warm color temperatures (yellow or orange) are now available, emitting mostly red and yellow light with a significant reduction in blue light.
The combination of these two technologies, remote management and warm color temperature, makes street lighting not only more efficient but also more sustainable, drastically reducing human impact on ecosystems.
The Municipality of Coimbra has already embraced this new philosophy by fully replacing its street lighting infrastructure with smart LED lighting at a warm color temperature.
At ARQUILED, we believe in a Bright New Future for street lighting and, as always, we are ready to lead the way, anticipating it luminaire by luminaire, one city or municipality at a time.
Happy 20th Anniversary, ARQUILED.
Miguel Allen Lima
ARQUILED CEO
