Energy is at the core of sustainable urban development. And energy efficiency has been emerging as a key strategy for the environment, economy and society, given the pressures caused by the growing evidence of the challenges of climate change, the need to increase energy security and reduce local pollution, in addition to opportunities around cost savings. When the amount of energy losses is assessed, where more than half of the global energy produced is wasted by the time it reaches its final use and when the need to promote social inclusion is considered, where 1.1 billion people do not have access to electricity, the more critical this strategy becomes - to reduce losses, to increase the efficiency of conversion processes close to its maximum yields, and also to introduce disruptive changes to the conversion processes, increasing its theoretical yields. Given the relevance of the lighting industry in the context of electricity consumption (about 15 percent of global consumption), this study analyzes the introduction of LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology in the street lighting sector (3 percent of electricity consumption in Brazil). It is an example of innovation technology that brings in a new paradigm of electricity conversion, which is nine times more efficient than conventional incandescent lamps, with the potential to be twice as efficient as high sodium vapor lamps. In addition, LED technology will enable street lighting to be a multi-dimension system, that goes beyond providing adequate lighting levels, but promoting connectivity, communication, monitoring and big data management.