Light pollution and the increasing energy consumption of street lighting impact our planet, animals, plants and people. PAPILIO is a street lamp with an insect-friendly light spectrum that tackles light pollution while generating energy. This by means of an integrated wind rotor.
Climate-neutral energy production becomes an aesthetic play and enriches public space - both day and night.
High cities catch a lot of wind
The higher we build our cities, the more wind they catch. On the one hand, rising air masses above heat-trapping cities create physical wind phenomena. Like the Venturi effect. Climate change in general increases wind intensity in urban environments. On the other hand, humans also actively generate more and more wind. For example, through traffic in narrow street gullies or underground shafts. There is a growing potential for using wind energy, especially in urban streets.
Light pollution
A hitherto often neglected problem in this context is light pollution. Every year, the global amount of artificial light grows by 6 per cent. 83 per cent of the world's population already suffers from unnaturally clear night skies. And thanks to studies, more than 44 per cent of people under 30 have never seen the Milky Way before in their lives. We are on the verge of losing true darkness and the natural night. Light pollution not only has bad health effects for humans and also has serious consequences for flora and fauna.
German research
In Germany alone, about 1.2 billion insects die in a single summer night due to street lighting. According to the German federal ministry BMU, the world's population still spends almost a fifth of total global electricity on public lighting. Emitting a significant amount of greenhouse gases in the process. In Germany alone, street lighting emits around 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
Climate neutral energy
PAPILIO reduces the ecological footprint of street lighting many times over. On the one hand by generating electricity with an integrated wind generator and on the other by minimising light pollution. An integrated Savonius rotor, where wind direction is irrelevant, is used to produce climate-neutral energy. Due to its diagonal orientation, the rotor works with both vertical (natural wind) and horizontal air currents (e.g. air flow caused by traffic). A rechargeable battery stores the generated electricity and thus can also bridge periods of rest. This allows PAPILIO to operate completely autonomously without the need for expensive underground electricity infrastructure.
Return to the grid
Alternatively, the product can be connected to an existing power grid to supply excess energy to the grid in high winds. To minimise light pollution, the product is designed as a "full-cut-off" light, which only emits light downwards. In addition, the street lamp has an infrared sensor, which activates the light only when it is really needed. to a lower blue component and a warm colour temperature of 2800 Kelvin, the light spectrum used is less attractive to insects.
