In a step to conserve electricity, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has recently launched a remote-controlled street-lighting system. The technology will work on basis of timings in accordance to sunrise and sunset at different locations.

The self-triggered system involves the fundamentals of regulating streetlights using an Internet-enabled main server, located in the heart of the city.

Officials close to the development said that the first stage of the streetlight upgradation project has started and it would cover a distance of 101 kms on 52 roads including key areas like Lodhi Road, Bhishma Pitamah Marg and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. It includes around 2,235 light poles.

MCD Commissioner K S Mehra said during the inauguration of the project at the civic body's Ambedkar Stadium office that the new system involves global satellite monitoring and general packet radio service, similar to something that is used by the mobile service providers.

The system not only eliminates operation of streetlights manually or time-based technologies, but also saves energy by switching on and switching off the streetlights in tandem with sunrise and sunset.