Smart Cities Need Real Results
Across the country, cities are facing a familiar infrastructure dilemma: how to provide safe, reliable street lighting without relying on overburdened grids, stretched budgets, or time-consuming trenching. As public safety concerns rise and federal mandates push toward clean energy, more municipal leaders are asking the same question:
Can solar street lighting actually solve our lighting gaps?
The answer is yes—and it’s already happening. Fonroche Lighting America has deployed more than 250,000 solar streetlights worldwide, including major projects across the U.S. These aren’t decorative fixtures or temporary installs—they’re infrastructure-grade, grid-independent lighting systems designed to perform 365 nights per year.
In this article, we’ll highlight three real-world deployments in Los Angeles, Louisville, and Fort Worth. These case studies show how solar street lighting is solving urgent infrastructure problems—from theft prevention to outage recovery to equitable lighting access—in weeks, not years.
Table of Contents
Los Angeles, CA – Stopping Copper Theft and Restoring Outages Fast
Challenge:
The City of Los Angeles, through its Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL), faced a growing crisis: rampant copper theft across the metro area. Thieves were stripping wires from grid-tied lighting systems, leaving entire corridors dark and unsafe. The damage was costly, repeated, and difficult to prevent—especially in high-traffic and high-theft zones.
Grid repairs required trenching, rewiring, and coordination with utility providers—often taking months to complete. As a result, residents were left in the dark, and the city’s crews were locked in a cycle of reactive maintenance.
Solution:
Fonroche Lighting America worked with BSL to deploy SmartLights in hard-hit areas. These solar-powered, off-grid streetlights have no wiring to steal, no trenching requirements, and no dependency on the utility grid.
The city prioritized corridors with repeated theft incidents—installing SmartLights as a permanent, theft-proof solution that delivered full roadway illumination without exposed infrastructure.
Results:
- Eliminated risk of copper theft (no wires, no conduit)
- Lights installed in hours, not weeks
- Improved safety in theft-prone zones
- Reduced long-term maintenance burden
By transitioning to solar in targeted areas, Los Angeles not only improved lighting uptime—it cut off theft at the source. For BSL, this marked a shift from reactive repair to proactive resilience.
Louisville, KY – Scaling Faster Than the Grid Could Keep Up
Challenge:
In Louisville and surrounding regions, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) faced a costly dilemma: how to maintain safe, consistent lighting on rural roads and secondary corridors without overburdening its crews or waiting on utility timelines. Grid-tied lighting came with slow permitting, transformer upgrades, trenching costs—and ongoing vulnerability to copper theft and outages.
For KYTC, speed and reliability were non-negotiable. Delays in lighting repairs translated into safety risks and public dissatisfaction.
Solution:
KYTC adopted Fonroche SmartLights as a core part of its permanent roadway lighting strategy—replacing over 1,000 lights per year with off-grid solar-powered systems. These units are engineered for DOT-grade performance, require no trenching or electrical infrastructure, and install in under an hour per light.
With this approach, KYTC empowered small crews to handle large-scale deployments—no electricians, no delays, no grid coordination required.
Results:
- ~10 lights installed per day, per crew
- Zero trenching or utility wait times
- Fewer work orders and maintenance tickets
- Expanded lighting access across rural and underserved areas
By removing grid constraints from the equation, KYTC turned a reactive maintenance cycle into a scalable, predictable rollout—proving that solar lighting isn’t just sustainable; it’s strategically faster.
Fort Worth, TX – Advancing Lighting Equity Without Infrastructure Delays
Challenge:
In several areas of Fort Worth, residents lived without adequate street lighting due to high trenching costs, budget constraints, or the lack of nearby electrical infrastructure. These gaps were most prevalent in historically underserved neighborhoods—where lighting plays a direct role in public safety, walkability, and community confidence.
Installing traditional grid-tied lights meant navigating utility approvals, permits, and transformer upgrades—delaying deployment and inflating costs.
Solution:
Fort Worth partnered with Fonroche Lighting America to install SmartLights in these unlit corridors. The solar-powered systems required no trenching, utility connections, or long permitting cycles—making them ideal for rapid installation across infill areas and difficult-to-wire zones.
Each system was engineered using localized solar simulation and lighting design tools to ensure the right light levels for streets, sidewalks, and intersections—all without pulling power from the grid.
Results:
- Rapid deployment—install-ready in under 1 hour per light
- No trenching, no transformers, no utility delays
- Expanded lighting access in low-income communities
- Lower total project cost vs. grid-based alternatives
Fort Worth’s solar rollout wasn’t just an infrastructure upgrade—it was a community investment. By choosing a grid-free approach, the city accelerated equity-driven outcomes while reducing long-term operating costs.
Conclusion: Safer Streets Start with Smarter Infrastructure
Los Angeles. Louisville. Fort Worth. Three different cities, three different challenges—yet one proven solution: solar street lighting that performs without the grid.
What these case studies show is clear:
- Solar systems install faster
- They reduce long-term risks (like copper theft and outages)
- And they expand access to safe, sustainable lighting—especially where the grid can’t go
Fonroche SmartLights aren’t experimental. They’re already operating in U.S. cities, DOTs, and underserved neighborhoods—lighting real roads, solving real problems, and delivering 365 nights of light per year.
If your agency, tribe, or municipality is facing delays, rising utility costs, or lighting equity concerns—your project could be next.
Talk to a Solar Lighting Expert
Every project starts with a conversation. If you’re planning a street lighting upgrade—or just exploring your options—our team is here to help. Reach out to a Fonroche team member today!