| Sustainable City Lights Concept |
| 30 March 2010 |
|
Using Renewable Energy Meeting Environmental and Economic Needs
Energy and energy efficiency are sensitive issues in the budget of a municipality. Especially when considering sustainable development demands, it is not easy to find competitive solutions suiting both the environmental and economic aspects involved. Illuminating, for instance, a whole city by using the energy coming from the sun and the wind, with no costs: is it a possibility or just fantasy? The idea is very simple: to accumulate energy during the day through solar and wind devices, and to give it back when needed during the night. This concept has been developed into the Sustainable City Lights realised by Philips Design. The light intensity of these street lights could also be different according to the actual momentary need: if people are passing through the street lights will get higher, otherwise the city will be lit in a softer way and the unused stored energy will be diverted to other purposes. The idea is easy and eco-sustainable and its realisation has also a nice design: the lights look like flowers that open their petals and leaves to the daily light. If the project will be put to the test in some cities, their energy balance sheet might present nice surprises!" |
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