The City of Los Angeles and FUSE are working together to help the Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) rethink how it powers one of the largest municipal street lighting systems in the country. Most of BSL’s lights draw grid power through underground circuits that are increasingly vulnerable, and those same poles now support telecommunications equipment, electric vehicle chargers, and public safety technology. BSL has already piloted solar conversions and started exploring additional uses for its infrastructure. Scaling solar and battery storage across the network, though, calls for a holistic energy management approach that keeps every co-located service running reliably.
Starting in Fall 2026, FUSE Executive Fellow Nikhil Jadhav will engage BSL leadership and staff in planning, operations, and engineering, along with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, telecommunications providers, and other agencies, while reviewing pilot data and peer-city models. Jadhav will then map current and projected energy demand across the network, analyze how uses like EV charging and sensors can work within solar or off-grid models, and test ideas with academic institutions, clean tech incubators, private providers, and peer cities. By Fall 2027, deliverables will include a network-wide solar conversion strategy, an energy demand and infrastructure assessment, a best practices report, an implementation framework with pilot recommendations, and a network of external partners. BSL will come away with a clear direction for investment and a foundation to keep refining the approach after the fellowship.
