From the transformer to the lamp.
Learning Track · Module 1: The network · Step 1 of 101
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Power comes from a distribution transformer to a cabinet. In Europe it is usually called a Europe: lighting cabinet or control cabinet (a feeder pillar in the UK) Middle East: feeder pillar or street lighting panel South Asia: feeder pillar or street light panel. It holds the energy meter, the main switch, the contactors that switch the lights, and one protective device for each outgoing circuit.
Cables go out from the cabinet along the road, usually underground. At each pole, a junction box or pole-door connection connects the pole to the cable through a fuse or a small circuit breaker. A cable inside the pole takes power up to the luminaire.
Most cabinets have a three-phase supply. Installers connect the poles to the phases in turn to balance the load. If one phase fails, every third light goes dark.
In many US cities, the electric utility owns most street lights. These lights are often on utility wood poles and take power from the overhead secondary line. Each light has its own photocell in a NEMA socket. There is no lighting cabinet.
Where the city owns the lights, for example on arterials, downtown streets, and new developments, lights usually take power underground from a service pedestal or lighting control cabinet with a meter, contactors, and a breaker for each circuit.
Find out who owns each light before you plan a project. Utility-owned lights usually need the utility's agreement for any change.
Supply voltage
Europe: 230 V between phase and neutral and 400 V between phases, at 50 Hz (IEC 60038).
Middle East: 230 V and 400 V. Most GCC countries use 50 Hz. Saudi Arabia uses 60 Hz.
South Asia: 230 V and 400 V at 50 Hz in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Bangladesh uses a 220 V nominal supply.
USA: 60 Hz. Street lights commonly run at 120 V, 208 V, 240 V, 277 V, or 480 V. Many LED drivers accept 120–277 V. Check the supply at each site before you order luminaires.
One circuit is one unit
A cabinet can supply tens to a few hundred lights. It is the smallest point where you can measure energy without a device on each pole. That is why OpenSLMS shows energy, switching, and dimming by circuit. USA: For utility lights with their own photocells, each light is its own unit.
Sources
- IEC 60038 Standard voltages
- EN 50160 Voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by public networks
- ANSI C84.1 Electric Power Systems and Equipment: Voltage Ratings (60 Hz)
- NFPA 70 National Electrical Code
Changes: 30 October 2026: First publication: guides for Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and the USA; failure library; tender clause library; comparisons; tools; downloads. See the changelog. Found a mistake? Report it.