During the Smart City Expo 2019 in Barcelona, ​​the municipality of Rotterdam and Lightwell launched the CENT-R, a multifunctional and modular unit that should become the standard carrier for smart city applications in the city. CENT-R stands for Connective Energy Network Tool - Rotterdam. The CENT-R can be equipped with all kinds of smart city applications and can be continuously adapted to needs and new applications due to its modular design.

Think of electric charging, the conversion of a continuous to DC network, 5G, cameras, lighting and a variety of sensors (air, sound, etc.). A pilot with three CENT-R units is expected to start in the Reyeroord district in Rotterdam at the end of January. These may facilitate a large-scale roll-out of Rotterdam smart city applications.

A textbook example of the digitization approach

Alderman Barbara Kathmann (Economy) indicates that the multifunctional and modular unit and the way in which the CENT-R was created is typical of the digitization approach in Rotterdam: 

“Rotterdam has great ambitions in this area: we want to be a digital example city by 2025. With the latest developments we build a sustainable city, where you like to live and work. For this we work together with the business community and knowledge institutions. One of the starting points of the pilot is to show the technical possibilities and then enter into a dialogue with stakeholders in the district about management, safety, data management, 5G, mobility and the energy transition, ”said Alderman Barbara Kathmann.

How do you as a city ensure that large-scale roll-out of 5G becomes successful? 

How do we facilitate electric driving to contribute to a sustainable city? With the CENT-R it is possible to quickly realize many charging points for electric cars and to continuously monitor the air quality. In addition, the CENT-R combines different masts and electricity units in one unit. 

Due to the circular and modular design, future adjustments are easy to realize, so that the latest technical innovations can be continuously anticipated. With the pilot, Rotterdam is working towards an infrastructure that serves as the basis for a large-scale roll-out of smart city applications. In addition, the pilot may offer a solution to limit the amount of objects in the outdoor space. The Reyeroord pilot is the starting point for an outdoor space that is future-proof. 

By responding to the realization of climate ambitions, Rotterdam is a forerunner when it comes to applying and facilitating technology in public space. In Reyeroord, an example neighborhood of the future, various management and social tasks come together where several innovative city-ups are 'tested'.

Co creation

The CENT-R was created through co-creation between the municipality of Rotterdam and Lightwell. This also involved collaboration with training institutes Da Vinci College Dordrecht and Hogeschool Rotterdam. Virgil Warnars, Sales Director at Lightwell, indicates that this partnership is very unique to the industry. 

“I believe that a smart city realization can only succeed if you work very closely and transparently with all conceivable parties and thus build a sustainable partnership. The lessons that we will learn from this process will soon be universally applicable. ” 

According to Object Manager Public Lighting Peter Wijnands, the process really starts as soon as the first units are placed in Reyeroord. 

“We want a future-proof plug and play solution for combined charging applications and smart city / smart light applications. We are going to investigate which issues need to be resolved to achieve this for a large-scale rollout in the city. Many objects with an electrical connection can be combined into one standard object. The pilot will continue well into 2020. The experience we have gained is extremely valuable because the route to 2030 is largely clear. That is the year that we as a municipality want to be truly climate neutral. ”

The pilot is a project by the client of the municipality of Rotterdam and developer Lightwell in collaboration with producer Valmont, the Da Vinci College Dordrecht, Hogeschool Rotterdam and installer Citytec.

Also read: DPD starts pilot to deliver an emission-free package in Rotterdam