Environmental Criteria for Assessing the Competitiveness of Public Tenders with the Replacement of Large-Scale LEDs in the Outdoor Lighting of Cities as a Key Element for Sustainable Development: Case Study Applied with PROMETHEE Methodology

Abstract

The technological change to LEDs is an unstoppable reality which, little by little, is becoming increasingly important in terms of the lighting inside and outside our homes. The exterior lighting of our cities is moving decisively and clearly towards the incorporation of this technology in urban spaces. The energy efficiency, light quality, and economic benefits of LED technology are an unquestionable reality. This is causing public administration projects involving large-scale switches to LEDs to be promoted and financed; however, it is beginning to be observed that the commitment to the policies decided by this technology should take into account some environmental aspects which have not been studied to date. The environmental impact of the substitutions is caused by the need to valorize the replaced luminaires. Until now, most have been stored without the possibility of use, reuse, or recovery. The environmental impact produced in the manufacture of LED luminaires that replace the old sodium vapor (VSAP) or metal halide (MH) discharge lamps must also be considered. In addition, in the administrative clauses specifications that govern the public tenders, it is observed that the fundamental environmental aspects both of recycling the old lamps, and of the life cycle analysis (LCA) of the luminaires that are replacing them, have not been contemplated or valued with sufficient weight. In addition, there are very few public substitution contests in which environmental criteria are rewarded or valued in an important way. This work intends to summarize a methodological proposal using the techniques of multiple decision-making criteria for the selection of bidding companies for public outdoor lighting competitions. We propose the use of the PROMETHEE method multi-criteria analysis for the application of the most commonly used criteria for the luminaire LED selection process, including an environmental impact assessment with LCA techniques, and propose this as a case or model guide in the public contests of cities. A model of the bidding conditions that addresses and assesses the environmental aspects which are absolutely key to sustainable development is supported by the ecological criteria of the circular economy.

The Perspective of Total Lighting as a Key Factor to Increase the Sustainability of Strategic Activities

“…Another important effect of smart lighting on sustainable development without worsening environmental impact is the increase of productivity in human activities [40], particularly factories [41] and office environments [42]. The economic benefits arising from these productive philosophies are an objective of many matters currently developing within the framework of circular economy, whose coupling with lighting is really fruitful, as shown in several studies to date [43][44][45].…”

A Multi-Criteria Assessment Procedure for Outdoor Lighting at the Design Stage

“…Therefore, the need to apply a multi-criteria procedure, based on the assessment of the luminous environment, light pollution, and energy efficiency seems to be a suitable approach to take for any outdoor lighting installation. Some interesting papers can already be found in the literature, which prove that the use of multi-criteria assessment procedures provide great benefits, not only for engineering solutions, but also for the entire environment [37,38].…”

Revision of Threshold Luminance Levels in Tunnels Aiming to Minimize Energy Consumption at No Cost: Methodology and Case Studies

“…In Europe (EU28) there are more than 1.6 million km of illuminated streets that annually consume approximately 35 TWh) at a cost of $4 billion euro for the public authorities [2]. During the last decade there has been ongoing research activity focused on energy management using various types of renewable energy sources [3][4][5], on recycling [6], on safety [7][8][9][10], and a concentrated effort has been made for making street lighting systems sustainable [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] and environmentally friendly [20][21][22]. In addition, during the last few years, the issue of avoiding light pollution [23][24][25][26][27][28] has gained importance in technical reports [29] and expert discussions [30].…”