Just descovered this and thought it was worth sharing. Existing streetlights can be retrofitted with these fake photocontrols: http://sensus.com/products/vantagepoint-lighting-control-module/. It uses the same wireless technology used to read utility meters remotely. Streetlights can be monitored for failure, and even dimmed or turned off at spesific times using this software: http://sensus.com/products/vantagepoint-lighting-software/

There is also a PDF under the "Features And Documents" tab for each. I saw a news artical about a city that started implenting them too.

These have actually two uses:
First for the streetlight control and mainly diagnostic,
but as well to serve as a range extension repeater nodes for the utility meters as well (the packets are then hoping from the meter via all he streetlights to the server station).
Such functionality is part of the ZigBee protocol most commonly used in these smart utility applications (well, in fact the protocol was mainly designed for such applications), the range extension repeater functionality is supposed to be enabled on nodes not limited by the battery power (so all mains powered or equipped with solar panels or so), so the streetlights are quite convenient locations for these (permanent power, metering points near by,...).

I really like this idea. It would allow for major energy savings by turning off lights after, say, midnight, without having to retrofit to LED. It would also prolong the life of existing HID lights.

I really like this idea. It would allow for major energy savings by turning off lights after, say, midnight, without having to retrofit to LED. It would also prolong the life of existing HID lights.

For that purpose are already long time on the market photocells with timers. The clock is synchronized onto a daylight cycle, so after two or three nights it follows the programmed pattern.
Compare to that, the remote control need an extra server to command them (if they really run on the remote control and not autonomously).

From this perspective there is no difference between LED vs HID, both need some such control device, either autonomous, or remote controlled. On the contrary, when you want to light the lamps only few hours at the evening and then at the morning, the HID will suffer accelerated wear (two starts per day), while LED's do not mind such regime at all...

In Israel, there are several cities that have their streetlighting remote group switched on and off. Haifa, Nesher, Qiryat Hayim, Qiryat Ata and Tzfat, are part of the cities that I know that their controller for their streetlighting are remotely switched (All of our streetlights in Israel are group switched).

@dor:
Th grop control, like used as well mainly in the continental Europe or so, uses separate installation wiring for the lights and dedicated control cabinets (here they even contain section dimmer transformers; by the way that is a feature securing the HPS there for some time, as LED's can not be hooked onto such system, it will require complete overhaul, no spot replacement possible).
But the mentioned control units are intended for systems, where the poles get permanent power and the control is individual in each lantern.

All systems here are indeed group switched on separate wiring. But some of the new LED systems aooearing out there do use wireless communication for dimming, that is, on/off is done by the group switching relays as normal, then dimming is by RF signal to the lanterns