When the Grid Goes Dark, Critical Lighting Shouldn’t

Winter Storm Fern proved the point: when power fails, many streets go dark. The real question: do your roads, shelters, and parking areas stay lit during an outage?

Why conventional streetlights fail

Grid tied lights share the grid’s single point of failure. If lines drop, substations trip, or circuits shut off, the lights go out too.

That creates predictable risk:

• Lower visibility on roads and crossings
• Darker transit stops and shelters
• Higher exposure in parking lots and pedestrian corridors

Why off grid solar lights stay on

Off grid lighting generates and stores power on site. It keeps operating through outages because it isn’t dependent on the failed power line.

In short: grid fails → grid tied lights fail. Off grid lights keep running.

Resilience is now part of ROI

Streetlighting ROI isn’t just energy savings anymore. It includes safety and operational outcomes. Staying on during disruption is operational ROI.

• Less risk during outages
• Fewer unnecessary site visits with remote monitoring
• Faster maintenance targeting when issues occur

Clear Blue examples in storm exposed regions

Illumient Smart Off Grid lighting stays on when the grid is down because it’s electrically independent from the outage.

Route 347, Long Island, NY: selected specifically to operate through long duration outages along the highway and at bus shelters.

American Parkway, Allentown, PA: 80+ systems across a 2 mile corridor to protect visibility and safety when grid circuits fail.

Oyster Bay, NY (commuter parking garage): upgraded from grid connected to solar to improve reliability and long term operating value.

Practical next step

Do a resilience focused lighting audit. Start here: where does darkness create the highest safety and operational risk during an outage?

• Emergency routes and key crossings
• Transit stops, shelters, commuter corridors
• Parking facilities near public buildings, medical, industrial sites
• Pathways and public spaces with night use

Clear Blue can share a short checklist for autonomy targets, performance requirements, and operational visibility.