Why cities are rethinking the limitations of utility-dependent streetlights
Grid-tied lighting has been the standard for decades — but in many municipalities, that standard is beginning to show its age. With rising energy costs, mounting maintenance burdens, and the push for resilient infrastructure, public works teams and city managers are increasingly evaluating alternatives to traditional grid-powered street lighting.
This article outlines the most common problems with grid-tied street lighting systems — especially as they relate to municipal performance, budgeting, and public safety — and explains why cities are shifting toward solar-powered solutions like those offered by Fonroche Lighting America.
Table of Contents
What Is a Grid-Tied Public Lighting System?
A traditional approach still common in most cities
A grid-tied public lighting system connects each light or lighting circuit directly to the local electric utility grid. Electricity is drawn from the same centralized power network that supplies homes, schools, and businesses — and it flows through underground or overhead cables to illuminate city streets.
While these systems can use modern LED fixtures, they still depend on trenching, wiring, centralized control panels, and grid availability to function. In other words, if the grid goes down, the lights go out.
Top Challenges of Grid-Tied Lighting Systems
Operational and financial drawbacks that add up over time
1. Vulnerability to Grid Outages
Grid-powered lights rely on the utility’s availability. When storms, accidents, or equipment failures knock out power, entire neighborhoods can lose lighting — creating public safety hazards and hindering emergency response.
Even the most efficient LED fixture becomes useless during a blackout. With no built-in backup, grid-tied systems offer no resilience in critical moments.
2. Ongoing Electricity Costs and Budget Volatility
LEDs have improved efficiency, but cities still pay the utility for every kilowatt-hour consumed. Over a full network of lights, these costs add up quickly — and utilities may raise rates with little notice.
Many municipalities also face inaccurate billing when unmetered streetlight loads are estimated rather than measured — meaning they may be paying more than actual usage requires.
3. Expensive and Disruptive Installations
Adding lighting in new areas — such as roads, trails, or intersections — means extending the electric grid. This involves:
- Trenching for new underground cables
- Installing transformers and switching cabinets
- Coordinating permits and approvals with the utility
These last-mile connections can cost tens of thousands of dollars per site and delay projects for months.
4. Aging Infrastructure and Maintenance Headaches
Even in upgraded systems, aging components like drivers, contactors, or underground wiring are common points of failure. Finding the source of a cable fault can require hours of specialized labor and invasive digging.
Meanwhile, simple photocell malfunctions or blown breakers can take days to detect and fix — especially if the city lacks smart monitoring.
5. Lack of Flexibility and Smart Control
Not all grid-tied LED systems are equipped with smart features. In many cities:
- Lights are controlled only by timers or photocells
- There’s no ability to dim or adjust lights dynamically
- Maintenance teams rely on citizen reports to identify outages
This results in higher labor costs, inconsistent performance, and slower response times — particularly compared to systems with remote monitoring and control.
6. Poor Power Quality Can Shorten System Life
Frequent voltage fluctuations (sags, swells, or transients) can shorten the life of LED drivers — one of the most expensive and failure-prone components in any fixture. Grid instability may lead to flickering, early failures, or inconsistent performance.
Why Cities Are Transitioning to Off-Grid Solar LED
Solar-powered street lighting solves many of these problems by operating independently of the utility grid. With no trenching, no electric bill, and no exposure to grid failures, systems like Fonroche SmartLights deliver unmatched resilience and long-term value.
Key Benefits of Fonroche Solar LED:
- 365-night reliability with patented Power 365® energy storage
- Trench-free, grid-free installation — even in remote or developing areas
- Remote monitoring and smart controls with Fonroche Connect
- No utility billing or usage fees
- Maintenance-free operation for 10+ years
- Eligible for DOT, IRA, and Tribal Infrastructure Funding
Frequently Asked Questions About Grid-Tied Street Lighting Systems
Still weighing whether to stay tied to the grid? These are the questions city leaders ask most when comparing grid-powered street lighting to solar-powered LED systems.
Understanding the Basics of Grid-Tied Lighting
What exactly does “grid-tied” mean for our streetlights?
A grid-tied public lighting system is powered directly by the local electric utility. Streetlights are connected via underground or overhead wiring and draw electricity from the centralized grid, just like any other building or appliance. Unlike solar-powered systems, they have no independent energy source or battery backup.
Why are most public lighting systems traditionally grid-tied?
Historically, grid-tied systems were the easiest way to illuminate public infrastructure using existing power lines. Municipalities relied on the grid’s reach and centralized management, especially before renewable or off-grid alternatives were viable at scale.
Problems Specific to Grid-Tied Systems (Even with LEDs)
We’ve upgraded to LED streetlights. Why are grid-tied systems still a problem for us?
LEDs improve energy efficiency, but grid-tied systems remain dependent on the utility infrastructure. This means cities still face vulnerabilities like power outages, installation delays, recurring utility costs, and maintenance tied to centralized electrical faults.
How do power outages on the main grid affect our grid-tied LED streetlights?
Any utility grid outage — whether caused by storms, accidents, or equipment failure — will leave grid-tied streetlights in the dark. This impacts public safety, increases risk at intersections, and complicates emergency response during critical moments.
Are ongoing electricity costs still a significant concern with grid-tied LEDs?
Yes. Even with LED efficiency, cities pay for every kilowatt-hour used. Across a large lighting network, utility bills remain substantial, especially with fluctuating energy rates or billing based on estimated (not actual) consumption.
What are the challenges when we need to expand grid-tied lighting to new areas or remote locations?
Extending the grid requires trenching, cabling, and transformer installation — processes that are expensive, time-consuming, and highly disruptive. In undeveloped or remote areas, these projects can stall due to permitting or utility coordination delays.
How does the “health” of the utility grid impact our streetlights?
Voltage fluctuations, power surges, and poor power quality can damage LED drivers — even if the lights themselves are new. This leads to flickering, premature failure, or reduced performance lifespan.
Are there maintenance issues unique to grid-tied infrastructure?
Yes. Faults in underground cables are hard to locate and expensive to fix. Issues like blown fuses or tripped breakers require utility-side expertise, extending downtime and increasing repair costs.
Bridging to Off-Grid Solar Considerations
If we have smart LED streetlights (remotely monitored, dimmable), do they still have “grid-tied” problems?
Smart features help with monitoring and control but don’t eliminate the core issue: grid dependency. If the grid fails, even the smartest streetlight loses power — and smart systems still depend on communication networks that may also be disrupted.
How does switching to off-grid solar LED street lighting aim to solve these grid-tied problems?
Off-grid solar systems operate independently. Each unit has its own solar panel, battery, and controller — eliminating trenching, utility bills, and vulnerability to outages. Installation is faster, and performance continues even in remote or disaster-prone areas.
Does moving to off-grid solar completely eliminate all our lighting system problems?
Solar LED solves many grid-related issues, but it introduces new considerations like battery lifecycle management, panel cleaning, and proper siting. With Fonroche’s Power 365® and 10+ year battery life, many of these concerns are already addressed.
Summary: Top Questions Cities Are Asking
What are the main problems with grid-tied street lighting?
Power outages, high utility costs, trenching requirements, and maintenance delays make grid-tied lighting less resilient and more expensive over time.
Why are cities switching to solar-powered LED streetlights?
To avoid outages, reduce long-term costs, eliminate trenching, and gain more control over their lighting infrastructure.
Are solar streetlights more reliable than grid-tied options?
Yes — solar streetlights like Fonroche’s operate 365 nights a year without relying on the grid and can be installed in locations the grid doesn’t reach.
Rethinking What Street Lighting Should Deliver
Street lighting should improve safety, not strain public budgets. It should perform during emergencies — not fail alongside the grid. And it should be fast to install, easy to monitor, and built for long-term equity and sustainability.
That’s why more infrastructure leaders are choosing off-grid solar LED systems — and why Fonroche Lighting America is setting the standard for next-generation municipal lighting.
Explore how solar streetlights eliminate grid vulnerabilities and deliver 365-night performance on our Street and Roadway Lighting page.