alternative energies in teh future streets

Alternative Energies

Simona Conti, Industrial Design for Digital Technologies, Design di Ambienti per la Comunicazione, A.A. 2009/10, Università di Siena

The future of streetlights6 brilliant new concepts


The “seagull” streetlamp

Tokyo

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The “seagull” streetlamp1DESCRIZIONE:Like the Light Blossom, the Seagull is designed to be the self-powering device. The main difference is that this one already exists. Installed in Tokyo near the Panasonic Center, this device is entirely off the grid.

MOTIVAZIONE: It has a solar panel and a rotating, vertical-axis wind turbine. Energy gathered from the these renewable sources is stored in batteries that power the lamp at night. Unfortunately, solar and wind power have to belarge-scale and placed very carefully to be profitable, and lamp posts are intrinsically small and must be placedwhere they're needed, not where the light is best, butthat doesn't mean that this isn't awesome.It does, however, mean that no one is getting a return on their investment. But sometimes things must be donepurely because they are beautiful, simple, and convey a powerful message.

RIFERIMENTI: http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1328/(look the video of the streetlamp functioning)


The NYC led lamp

New York

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The NYC led lamp2DESCRIZIONE:Last year, New York City’s Department of Transportationcontracted with a company called Office of VisualInteraction to produce new LED-based street lightingradically different in form and function from existinglamps. The new light poles are sleeker and allowbeams of light to be directed in different directions— meaning one lamp can illuminate both the sidewalkand the roadway.

MOTIVAZIONE: Though still currently under review, the program couldeventually result in the replacement of the city’s entirestock of 300,000 lamps and reduce their overall powerusage by 25-30 percent.With their small size, low wattage, intensity, and extremely long life of over 50,000 hours, LEDs are preeminent as an energy efficient, minimal-maintenance source.

RIFERIMENTI: Office for Visual Interactionhttp://oviinc.com/profile/index.asp

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The River-Powered Streetlight

Ballybofay

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The River-Powered Streetlight3DESCRIZIONE:In a city called Ballybofey in northwestern Ireland, city engineers have installed a € 3000 water-powered light system.

MOTIVAZIONE: A 110 watt micro hydro-turbine will be placed under the bridge after winter water levels drop a bit to make the installation easier. As water moves through turbine, the energy generated will charge batteries, which will thenpower the 30 watt LED mounted above the bridge. The turbine will actually power three such lights but the cautiousBallybofians are just going with the one for now.The water light will be flanked by two solar powered lights(already installed, also by LH Ecotech), and there'll be a solarpanel on the water light itself as a backup for summer(when there's actually sun from time to time) and for whenwater levels drop. €3000 for a single light? It sounds ratherexpensive but the cost to run it after installation won't bemuch. After all, it's powered by water, something Ireland willlikely always have a fair amount of. We can imagine hydrolights someday lighting many of the bridges of the world.

RIFERIMENTI: http://www.supereco.com/news/2009/02/13/ireland-installs-water-powered-street-light/


Dimming adaptive streetlights

San José (CA)

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Dimming adaptive streetlights4DESCRIZIONE:It’s not sexy-looking, but in San Jose, California, in the heartof Silicon Valley, a municipal demonstration programis outfitting 125 street lamps with LED bulbs that can bedimmed based on established need. The idea challengesone of the basic tenets of how street lighting: that lampsshould burn at the same brightness all night long. Forinstance, if properly programmed, lights could be increasedin luminosity in areas with known high pedestrian use butdecreased in places that see little pedestrian activity; some lights will even include sensors to detect activity and activate only when needed.

MOTIVAZIONE:These improvements are likely to allow the city to save 10 to 60% on street light energy use, so even though the bulbs, at $600 apiece, are more expensive than those theyreplace, at $200 each, the city will eventually save moneyon the program as LEDs have much longer life spans .Now cities, faced with tighter budgets, are looking for waysto cut street-lighting costs and to reduce emissions frompower plants.

RIFERIMENTI: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124035903357241327.html

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The Lunar-Resonantstreetlamp

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The Lunar-Resonantstreetlamp5

DESCRIZIONE:A design firm called Civil Twilight has developed a concept called the “lunar resonant street light,” whichis designed to measure the strength of the moonlight and adjust its brightnesscorrespondingly. The concept would “fill in” only the light necessary, since on some nights the moon is so bright that literally no street lights are necessary tonavigate sidewalks and roadways. On cloudy or stormy nights, the lights would burn at full capacity.

MOTIVAZIONE: Overall, the program could vastly reduce the amount of “on” time for street lights, and thereforereduce a city’s electricity bill.

RIFERIMENTI: Civil Twilighthttp://www.civiltwilightcollective.com/lunar1.htm

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The Light Blossom

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The Light Blossom6DESCRIZIONE:Dutch electronics giant Philips may have the mostambitious scheme when it comes to street lighting.During the day, the concept lamp’s petals “open” toreveal solar panels, while the head can rotate tofollow the sun. During gusty conditions, the petalscontract to a half-open position and turn into a rotatingwind turbine. Then, at night, the “flower” evolves intoa bud ready to light the surrounding streets. Unfortunately, Philips announced that ideas from the concept won’t be put into production for another 3 to 5 years - at the minimum.

MOTIVAZIONE: Its “Light Blossom” is designed to harness the sun and wind with a moving lamp post that, like a flower, adapts to changing environmental conditions. At night, its efficient LEDs beam light only where needed – and only when needed – through proximity sensing.

RIFERIMENTI: VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPDhx6m7XP0Article:http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/about/news/press/20081015_simplicity_event_light_blossom.wpd

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Simona [email protected]

Industrial Design for DigitalTechnologies,

Design for CommunicationEnvironmentsA.A. 2009/10

Università di Siena

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alternative energies in teh future streets

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