FAQ's - REV Demo

What is REV?

Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) is Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s comprehensive energy strategy for New York. REV helps consumers make more informed energy choices, develop new energy products and services, and protect the environment, while creating new jobs and economic opportunity throughout the State.

REV is driving New York's six investor-owned utilities to work with energy innovators to lower costs, test advanced technologies, and design new replicable business models through REV Demonstration Projects (REV Demo Projects).

Together, utility companies and their partners are testing ways to power our homes and businesses reliably at lower costs, while also reducing emissions. As with all things REV, clean, resilient, and more affordable energy are the driving forces.

What is the National Grid Smart City REV Demo Project in Schenectady?

The City of Schenectady has partnered with National Grid to pilot a REV Demonstration Project. National Grid will be replacing 4,200 streetlights with LED lights across the entire city that will lower our carbon footprint. These energy-efficient LED lights will be outfitted with advanced network lighting controls that will enable improved lighting services such as automatic outage detection, and the creation of dimming schedules during off-peak hours to generate additional energy savings.

While National Grid replaces the streetlights across the city with advanced LED lighting, the City of Schenectady will be evaluating how smart technology can improve quality of life for residents, increase efficiency of services, and strengthen public safety.

This demonstration project will provide National Grid with vital information on potential new options for enhanced street lighting infrastructure, and will also serve to test energy savings gained from LED conversion at a large scale.

Why LED lights?

Smart LED (light-emitting diode) streetlights are approximately 70% more energy-efficient than traditional high-pressure sodium streetlights. Smart LED streetlights are also dimmable with a smart lighting controller, which would allow for generate additional energy savings.

How can smart streetlight technology improve quality of life for residents?

Public safety –

• Advanced gunshot detection systems can immediately alert law enforcement and emergency responders to the location of a gunshot. Other cities have deployed similar technologies to increase public safety such as New York City, Rochester, and Syracuse.

• Improved law enforcement cameras have the ability to document and deter criminal activity in a neighborhood.

Transportation and Mobility –

• Pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle traffic volume analysis can improve and enhance urban mobility.

• Walkability and bike-ability are key features of healthy, sustainable communities and can also improve the environmental design of neighborhoods and corridors.

• Traffic volume analysis can also better inform municipal decisions with regard to business development, zoning, parking, and land use policies.

Environmental monitoring –

• Building a sustainable City includes paying close attention to local environmental changes. Monitoring local air quality allows cities the ability to introduce interventions to promote public health across all segments of the community.

Connectivity and Engagement –

• The availability of public Wi-Fi is a common feature in Smart Cities around the world to help bridge the digital divide. Internet access today is as much of a necessity as telephone service has been in years past.

What is the projected timeline for completion?

National Grid and the City will be implementing the project using a phased approach over three years. The first phase will see streetlight replacement in Zone A and Zone B of the City, and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.

Phase Two will cover the remaining zones of the City and is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2020.

During Phase Three, the City and National Grid will continue evaluation of the REV Demo Project into 2021.