AI Lighting Systems: Pioneering Energy Efficiency and Reducing Labor Costs for a Greener Future

AI Lighting Systems Illuminate a Green Future
Implementing AI lighting systems can lead to an average energy consumption reduction of up to 70%. Chen Weixing, initially planning to semi-retire, established Energy Renewal in Singapore to help property owners significantly cut costs associated with public lighting in areas such as parking lots using AI technology. This intelligent lighting system offers high-precision data collection and analysis, allowing clients to save energy while also reducing labor needs and time costs.
Originally intending to slow down and accompany his daughter studying in Singapore, Chen Weixing, an entrepreneur from a Chinese AI lighting company, instead found himself inspired to start a new venture. In 2023, he founded Energy Renewal in Singapore, aiming to leverage AI technology to help property owners dramatically lower their public lighting costs, with plans to expand gradually into Southeast Asia and beyond.
In an interview with United Morning Post, Chen explained that Energy Renewal provides mutually beneficial AI lighting services to local property owners through energy management. Clients do not need to purchase lighting equipment; instead, they sign long-term contracts with Energy Renewal, which handles the installation, maintenance, and upgrade of the lighting systems. Chen stated, “I sign at least a 10-year contract with property owners; they do not need to invest a single cent and simply share the energy cost savings with us. For instance, if a building’s original lighting bill was $10,000 a month, we can reduce it to $3,000. The saved $7,000 is split, with 15% going to the owner and 85% to my company.”
When asked why he chose to start his business in Singapore, Chen responded, “Although the Singapore market is small and costs are high, there are many buildings that require public lighting, making almost every building a potential client with numerous energy-saving applications. Additionally, we operate a high-risk business model where clients have no initial investment, making credit ratings crucial, and property owners here typically have high credit ratings.”
Cluster Intelligence AI Model
Energy Renewal employs the “EMN Self-Tuning” IoT lighting system, which utilizes a cluster intelligence AI model for intelligent management and optimization of the system. This revolutionary approach transforms the deployment, configuration, and maintenance processes of traditional lighting systems by allowing AI to handle complex tasks typically requiring skilled technicians, significantly reducing labor needs and time costs while providing precise data collection and analysis capabilities. The company claims that its AI lighting system can average a 70% reduction in energy consumption and has been implemented in 1,500 projects, including clients such as Beijing Capital International Airport, Xiaomi Headquarters in Beijing, and Oxley BizHub in Singapore.
Energy Renewal’s Chief Technology Officer, Zhao Lianye, explained, “Each light bulb contains a processor. By connecting all the bulbs, they form a ‘cluster’ that shares information with nearby bulbs and calculates outcomes together.” He emphasized that the advantage of Energy Renewal’s intelligent lighting system lies in its low power consumption, which is entirely different from current mainstream neural networks and large language models.
During the Asia International Building Materials and Technology Exhibition (BuildTech Asia) held in March, Chen Weixing, along with CTO Zhao Lianye and project engineer Gu Zhicheng, highlighted the capabilities of their intelligent lighting system.
What exactly does the intelligent lighting system calculate? Zhao explained, “Lighting devices detect user movement patterns through sensor triggers and the distribution of radio signal strength. For example, in a parking lot, when a car approaches an intersection, lights will illuminate in all possible directions. If the car turns left, the lights ahead and to the right will turn off while the lights to the left will follow the vehicle. This ensures ample lighting in the user’s line of sight while automatically reducing power consumption in unoccupied areas for precise energy savings.” The intelligent lighting system can also generate comprehensive device layout maps based on environmental data collected from the sensors in each light fixture. Zhao noted, “The device layout map may not be perfectly accurate since it is generated without human intervention, but if the system reports a malfunction in a specific light, maintenance personnel can locate it within a few meters.”
Automatic Sensor for Device Replacement
Zhao highlighted that engineers can replace faulty devices without manual configuration, as “the system automatically detects device replacements, updates the map location information, and transfers historical records and configuration data.” Chen, who has been operating an energy-saving lighting company in China since 2016, shared that before the advent of AI in 2020, it took one engineer three days to maintain 1,000 lights in a building. “By 2024, with the help of AI, one engineer can handle six projects in a day, maintaining around 4,000 lights, with half the time spent on transportation and meals.” Chen also utilizes AI to analyze the data collected by the lighting system, generating energy consumption heat maps and triggering heat maps that reveal foot traffic in specific areas over the course of a day or week. “Based on AI analysis, we can adjust the lighting system accordingly. For instance, if an area sees no foot traffic after 11 PM, we reduce the lighting brightness; then, at 7 AM when foot traffic begins to increase, we restore the brightness.”
Notably, while Energy Renewal’s lighting system is networked, it can operate independently if the internet connection is lost. Chen clarified, “We connect to the network purely to send collected data back for analysis. If the connection fails, we may not see the data, but it does not affect the lights’ learning, automation control, or energy-saving functions. Many parking lots lack internet connectivity, yet our lighting systems still function.”
Chen, originally from Jiangsu, has settled in Singapore with his family. His 27-year-old son has joined the company, while his 15-year-old daughter is in secondary school. He expresses satisfaction with life in Singapore, stating, “I previously worked in foreign trade and traveled to many countries but ultimately decided to settle in Singapore. I appreciate the freedom here; there’s less pressure, whether in friendships or business, and things are not overly complicated without many unspoken rules. In Singapore, as long as you provide good service and technology, and communicate effectively, you will gain widespread recognition.”
Chen is confident that he will secure at least 50 public lighting contracts this year. He aims to establish a firm foundation in Singapore before expanding into developed markets abroad, such as Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia.