Smart City
Artemide is developing outdoor lighting solutions capable of giving
character to the urban lighting environment, communicating with
city management systems and individual users to generate different
types of lighting effects depending on the inputs, and distributing
data and energy. Based on VLC (Visible Light Communication)
or IR (Infrared Light), the outdoor lighting network can support
communication through specific emitters, which Artemide is
applying to both indoor and outdoor systems. The outcome of
these studies will also depend on the availability of smart-devices
with native VLC or IR wireless functions.
Ross Lovegrove, LED technology and solar photovoltaics, created
solar Tree as a lighting appliance that combines a unique and
innovative design.
On the one hand, the project aims to reduce the environmental
impact of the product’s use phase as far as possible, while on the
other, it seeks to ensure the expected lighting performance without
being affected by weather patterns or falling prey to the over-
sizing of the photovoltaic component; hence the choice of a hybrid
battery + grid solution. Solar Tree thus becomes an intelligent, last-
generation platform capable of establishing a personal connection
with the individual user or interacting with a smart, "SENSEable"
city network. The project lends itself to new perspectives in urban
lighting by interpreting the current artistic, cultural, social and
environmental needs. Solar Tree has been designed to work both
independently and in conjunction with public lighting.
In ordinary operation, the product will not draw energy from the
power supply but will use the energy generated by the solar panels
for its functioning and battery charging. Sundown is autonomously
detected by monitoring the output of the solar panels; from then
on, the LED sources will be switched on until dawn. The energy
stored in the battery will allow the device to operate for about 25
hours in the absence of an external energy supply. If, on the other
hand, the lighting is wired for joint operation with street lighting, its
operation will be linked to the surrounding lighting.
Solar Tree
Solar Tree - Ross Lovegrove
Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milan
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y R E P O R T
136
137
V A L U E S , K N O W L E D G E & K N O W- H O W T O R E A L I Z E U N I V E R S A L P R O J E C T S