“Apollo manufactures streetlights powered by energy-saving light-emitting diodes. Each light casing has room for a computer that acts like a cell-phone tower, connecting anyone standing or driving nearby with a smart device to the Internet. “My vision is to have an Android computer in every light,” Altvater says.
Already, a pilot program on Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Santa Barbara Boulevard in Collier County is showing success. Each light can be controlled individually and remotely by computer or even by cell phone. When a Naples resident recently complained about a bright streetlight shining into his bedroom, for example, Altvater lowered the light’s strength remotely.
The computer and sensors inside the streetlight can also tell if there’s no traffic so that the lights can dim and conserve energy late at night, boosting back to full power when a car or pedestrian comes through. This feature is already producing electricity savings of 65% or more, which helps municipalities like Collier County pay for the lights that list for $850 in about three years.”