The development of a smart traffic light system using a solar-powered standalone photovoltaic system

Fadzilah Salim; Azlyn Arissya Ariff; Irianto

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2025179

Keywords:

PV solar

traffic light

smart system

Abstract

The demand for electricity generation from standalone solar energy is increasing, particularly for the advancement of smart technology like intelligent traffic light systems. A self-contained solar photovoltaic (PV) system can produce, store, and distribute electricity to traffic lights independently of the power grid. In contrast, conventional traffic light systems are often inefficient. The operation of these systems is based on fixed timing intervals for each lane and relies on the grid for power, which can occasionally fail, resulting in traffic accidents. A solution to these problems has been devised in the form of an intelligent traffic signal system that operates using a self-contained solar PV system. The objective of this study is to analyse current traffic signal systems through a comprehensive review of relevant articles, journals, and past studies. The objectives are to design and develop an intelligent traffic light system that incorporates independent solar PV power and to assess the appropriateness of solar panels, charge controllers, batteries, and sensors used in the system. The intelligent traffic light system utilises infrared sensors to accurately detect the level of traffic congestion. The timing of the traffic light system is regulated by an Arduino Nano microcontroller, which adjusts the signals in response to the current vehicle density. LED traffic light modules are used to display the traffic light signals. This technology utilises solar energy to offer a dependable and sustainable solution, guaranteeing uninterrupted operation even in the event of grid power outages. Integrating independent solar PV electricity into the smart traffic light system enhances traffic management and greatly mitigates the danger of road accidents resulting from traffic signal malfunctions. This novel approach showcases the capacity of solar energy to improve public safety and promote the progress of smart city initiatives.
References
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Salim, F., Ariff, A. A., & Irianto. (2024). The development of a smart traffic light system using a solar-powered standalone photovoltaic system. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2025179

[1] AbdelRahman, A.M., Issa, A.T., & Dafaalla, K. O. (2011). Design of an intelligent traffic light control system. In Engineering, Computer Science. Retrieved from https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:110055464 Proceedings

[2] Abdullah, H. N., Hashim, I. A., & Abd, B. H. (2010). Design and implementation of an intelligent traffic light system. Engineering & Technology Journal, 28(15), 5079–5088.

[3] Agrawal, A., & Paulus, R. (2020). Intelligent traffic light design and control in smart cities: a survey on techniques and methodologies. International Journal of Vehicle Information and Communication Systems, 5(4), 436–481. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijvics.2020.10033552

[4] Alharbi, A., Halikias, G., Sen, A. A. A., & Yamin, M. (2021). A framework for dynamic smart traffic light management system. International Journal of Information Technology (Singapore), 13(5), 1769–1776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41870-021-00755-2

[5] Ali, N. B. S., Ghoudelbourk, S., & Zerzouri, N. (2022). Battery storage system design using PWM current and voltage controllers. European Journal of Electrical Engineering, 24(4), 195–200. https://doi.org/10.18280/ejee.240404

[6] Bensaha, A., Benkouider, F., & Cheknane, A. (2020). Design and size optimization of the PV modules for stand-alone photovoltaic systems (pp. 167–172). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5444-5_21

[7] Ciriminna, R., Meneguzzo, F., Albanese, L., & Pagliaro, M. (2017). Solar street lighting: a key technology en route to sustainability. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 6(2), e218.

[8] Clark, M. A. ., Kidson, P., & Hodge, A. (1990). Infrared detector development (road traffic sensors). In Third International Conference on Road Traffic Control (pp. 158–162).

[9] Diong, B. (2014). Justification and conceptual design of solar-powered traffic signal systems. In 3rd International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications, ICRERA 2014 (pp. 595–600). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRERA.2014.7016454

[10] Dixit, S. (2020). Solar technologies and their implementations: a review. In Materials Today: Proceedings (Vol. 28, pp. 2137–2148). Retrieved from https://talenta.usu.ac.id/politeia/article/view/3955

[11] Garner, J. E., Lee, C. E., & Huang, L. (1990). Infrared sensors for counting, classifying, and weighing vehicles. Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation Final Report.

[12] Gourav, Desh., Chauhan, Shivam., Dev, Sachin., Mir, Sabiya., Goyat, Sandip., Gupta, N. (2021). Smart traffic system. International Journal For Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology, 9(VII), 2638–2645.

[13] Guangul, F. M., Chala, G. T. (2019). Solar energy as renewable energy source: SWOT analysis. In 4th MEC International Conference on Big Data and Smart City 2019 (pp. 1–5). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICBDSC.2019.8645580.keywords

[14] Guo, S., Wu, C., Danner, M., Nobre, A., Aberle, A. G., & Peters, M. (2015). Modelling of an integrated standalone streetlamp PV system. In IEEE 42nd Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015 (pp. 1–6). https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2015.7355829

[15] Hernandez, J., Silve, J., Vallejo, W. (2011). Study of implementation of PV-powered LED system to be used as traffic lights in the Bogota city. In 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference 2011 (pp. 003250–003253). https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2011.6186631.keywords

[16] Himawan, F., Imaduddin, I. R., Hasan, F., & Susanto, F. (2020). Perancangan desain traffic light menggunakan panel surya. Journal of Electrical, Electronics, Control, and Automotive Engineering, 5(1), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.32486/jeecae.v5i1.512

[17] Leen, M. W. E., Jafry, N. A., Salleh, N., Hwang, H., & Jalil, N. (2023). Mitigating traffic congestion in smart and sustainable cities using machine learning: A review. In Computational Science and Its Applications (pp. 321–331). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36808-0

[18] Manikandan, P., Karthick, S., Saravanan, S., & Divya, T. (2018). Role of solar powered automatic traffic light controller for energy conservation. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5(12), 989–992.

[19] Martínez-rodríguez-osorio, R., Calvo-ramón, M., Miguel, Á., & Navarrete, L. C. (2006). Smart control system for LEDs traffic-lights based on PLC. In Proceedings of the 6th WSEAS International Conference on Power Systems (pp. 256–260).

[20] Moghbelli, H., Ellithy, K., Eslami, Z., Vartanian, R., Wannous, D., El Ghamrawy, A., … Nicola, S. (2009). Investigation of solar energy applications with design and implementation of photovoltaic traffic light signal system for Qatar. In International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (pp. 1–9). https://doi.org/10.24084/repqj07.249

[21] Nale, S. B. (2015). Intelligent energy efficient traffic safety & alert system. In International Conference on Pervasive Computing (ICPC) 2015 (pp. 1–4). https://doi.org/10.1109/PERVASIVE.2015.7087111.keywords

[22] Odeh, S. M. (2013). Management of an intelligent traffic light system by using genetic algorithm. Journal of Image and Graphics, 1, 90–93.

[23] Saleh, A., Adeshina, S. A., Galadima, A., & Ugweje, O. (2017). An intelligent traffic control system. In 13th International Conference on Electronics, Computer and Computation, ICECCO 2017 (pp. 1–6). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICECCO.2017.8333313

[24] Sopian, K., Hakemzadeh, M. H., & Kazem, H. A. (2024). Building integrated photovoltaic-thermal system (BIPVT) performance under the tropical climate conditions. In Reducing the Efects of Climate Change using Building-Integrated and Building-Applied Photovoltaics in the Power Supply (pp. 163–186). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42584-4

[25] Tropartz, S., Hoerber, E., & Gruener, K. (1999). Experiences and results from vehicle classification using infrared overhead laser sensors at toll plazas in New York City. In IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Proceedings, ITSC (pp. 686–691).

[26] Yao, Z., Lum, Y., Johnston, A., Mejia-Mendoza, L. M., Zhou, X., Wen, Y., … Seh, Z. W. (2023). Machine learning for a sustainable energy future. Nature Reviews Materials, 8(3), 202–215. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-022-00490-5

[27] Zerari, H., Messikh, L., Dendouga, A., Kouzou, A., Bekhouche, S. E., Ouchtati, S., & Chergui, A. (2019). A two-stage sizing method of standalone solar lighting systems. In 4th International Conference on Power Electronics and their Applications, ICPEA 2019 (pp. 1–5). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICPEA1.2019.8911135

[28] Zhang, Z., & Ramadass, P. (2012). Lithium - ion battery systems and technology. In Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology (pp. 6122–6149).

Abstract

References

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