Overview

The Municipality of Malko Tarnovo implemented a smart lighting project under the "Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Security" Programme (Grant No. BGENERGY-2.001-0018). The aim was to modernize outdated street lighting infrastructure of residential areas and reduce energy consumption while enhancing safety, nighttime visibility, and the cultural identity of the town. The town’s existing lighting systems posed multiple challenges: excessive and misdirected lighting, inadequate lighting of historic sites reduced their nighttime visibility, and outdated technologies contributing to high costs and emissions. To address these issues, the project introduced a smart lighting system featuring: i) LED luminaires with sensor-based adaptive lighting, automatically adjusting brightness in response to traffic, weather, and time of day, ii) a centralized web-based control platform enabling remote monitoring, real-time fault detection, and optimized scheduling. Aesthetic improvements were also made by replacing light fixtures in culturally significant areas, offering targeted, warm-toned lighting to highlight architectural features and reduce light pollution. Overall, the Malko Tarnovo project demonstrates how small municipalities can integrate smart, energy-efficient lighting solutions while preserving their historical and environmental character.

RESULTS

Annual savings 52%:

• 39,661 €/year
• 338 МWh/year
• 399 CO₂ kg/year

TIMESCALE

2021-2022

FINANCING

Total investment cost: 194,560€

Financing rate: National 10%, EU 90%

CONTACTS

Municipality Malko Tarnovo

Deyan Yotov
deianiotov@gmail.com