The main objective of the SMART STREET LIGHTING project is to use the Public Procurement of Innovation procedure (hereinafter, PPI) to stimulate the transformation of conventional public lighting networks into intelligent, highly efficient and multifunctional lighting systems in such a way that they contribute to the energy transition.

The main motivation is to achieve an energy-sustainable territory and, at the same time, economically sustainable through the promotion of innovative clusters that facilitate the creation of synergies between the needs of the public sector and the provision of innovative goods and services by the private sector, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and producing local energy.

Through the SMART STREET LIGHTING project, a pilot project will be launched in a municipality in the Valencian region of Ribera del Xúquer, in which a public procurement of innovation procedure will be designed, prepared and launched for the transformation of a municipal lighting system into an intelligent, sustainable and/or multifunctional lighting system.

It should be highlighted that the Consorci de la Ribera will accompany, guide and train a municipality in the Ribera del Xúquer region in the execution of a PPI procedure for the transformation of the municipal public lighting system.

For this reason, through this project, a PPI team will be established in the municipality of the Ribera region where the pilot project is developed, since training actions on PPI will be carried out for public administration staff. In addition, training and information dissemination activities on PPI aimed at the private sector (mainly companies) and the public sector will also be conducted.

Finally, intelligent, highly efficient and multifunctional lighting systems will contribute to the energy transition of the territory through:

• The reduction of energy consumption through the development of innovative and more energy-efficient solutions.
• The development and integration of integrated energy management solutions for public outdoor lighting systems.
• The integration of renewable energy generation and energy storage solutions into public lighting systems.
• The transformation of public lighting points into multifunctional systems through the integration, for example, of charging points for electric vehicles, information panels, sensors or WIFI networks.

In this regard, the project will contribute to consolidating, through the demand-driven promotion of innovation by the municipalities of the Ribera region, the innovative cluster for the promotion of sustainable energy launched under the European project PROMINENT MED, which initially includes: the municipalities of the Ribera region, the Consorci de la Ribera, the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Provincial Council of Valencia (DIVAL) and the Valencian Association of Energy Service Companies (AVAESEN). In this regard, the Federació Valenciana de Municipis i Províncies (FVMP) will be incorporated into the CEL LA RIBERA project.

On the other hand, regarding the methodology of the PPI process to be implemented within the SMART STREET LIGHTING project and its results, according to the Practical Guide to the Public Procurement of Innovation Process for Public Bodies of the Valencian Community published by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), the project will develop the four phases of a PPI process, generally contributing to:

• The improvement of public services through the incorporation of innovative goods and/or services in the field of construction and sustainable energy, as well as the circular economy;
• Driving innovation through the demand for innovative products/services, which will contribute to achieving a more productive and resilient business sector;