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Singapore streets were first lit on 1 April 1824 and by 1862, gas from the Kallang Gas Works powered the street lights until the gas-fuelled street lamps were ended in 1956, and electric lights took over.

Gas Lighting
The streets of Singapore were first lit on 1 April 1824. The Kallang Gas Works was built in 1862 to provide gas for street lighting, initiating the first piped gas supply in Singapore. Gas lamps were first used to light the streets on 24 May 1864. Gas generated by the Kallang Gas Works was used mainly for street lighting until 1930. A pumping station was installed in 1878 and electric lighting was first introduced in the city of Singapore on 6 March 1906. At its peak, there were more than 4,000 public gas lights for street lighting until almost half were destroyed during the Japanese occupation. The last gas-fuelled street lamp was extinguished in 1956.

Electric Lighting
High pressure mercury vapour lamps were used in street lighting in Singapore until they were replaced by sodium vapour lamps. Sodium vapour lamps are more efficient (they use less electricity and are brighter) but expensive. Sodium lamps were introduced in Singapore in 1969, but these were the low pressure ones. By 1974, there were plans by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) to light all major roads with high pressure sodium vapour lamps as these lamps were expected to cut the use of electricity by one-third. By then, more than 500 sodium lamps had already been installed in areas like Nicoll Highway, Maxwell Road, Orchard Boulevard Road, Stamford Road and Connaught Drive.

Brighter Streetlighting Scheme
In 1975, under the Brighter Streetlighting Scheme, the Public Works Department (PWD) started a project to upgrade street lights when the need arose and according to technological advances. This exercise involved increasing the number of lights or shifting others when roads were widened, or changed to expressways. The replacement of mercury vapour lamps with high pressure sodium ones continued under this project. To conserve energy, the PUB also replaced tall lamp posts with shorter ones. These shorter posts had an additional advantage in that they provided better lighting since they were not shaded by trees.

Modern Street Lighting System
In 1987, the PUB continued its cost-saving effort when it announced that it was implementing a new street lighting system that would enable the switching off and on of all street lights in Singapore within one minute. Called the Centralised Ripple Control Scheme, the new electrical remote system eliminated the need to install additional cables between transmitters and receivers, the latter having the function of receiving coded signals that would switch street lights on or off. The implementation of this system was to lead to savings of up to S$20,000 annually for the PUB.

Singapore Power
Singapore Power (SP) was incorporated as a commercial entity in October 1995 to take over the electricity and gas undertakings from the PUB. Energy savings efforts in street lighting continued when SP implemented a lighting control system which switches on and off according to ambient lighting.



Author
Nor-Afidah Abd Rahman



References 
Tyers, R. (1993). Ray Tyer's Singapore then and now (p. 202). Singapore: Landmarks Books.
(Call no. RSING q959.57 TYE)

Farewell to Kallangs blue tin can. (1998, March 24). The Straits Times, p. 34. 

Fresh light on street lamps. (1982, July 15). New Nation, 

Now new lighting to save fuel. (1974, January 21). New Nation.

PUB to save with new street lights system. (1987, February 16). The Straits Times. 

Shorter street lamps to lighten energy load. (1989, May 15). The Straits Times, p. 30.

Goodman, M. (1996, June 11). History of electric lighting technology. Harris Cyclery. Retrieved October 3, 2002, from www.sheldonbrown.com/marty_light_hist.html

SP's role in energy efficiency. (2000, September). Powerlines. Retrieved October 3, 2002, from www.spower.com.sg/pdf/PLines13_P14.pdf 

The information in this article is valid as at 1998 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Politics and Government>> Public Utilities
Lighting--Singapore
Public Utilities--Singapore
Science and technology>>Construction>>Utilities



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