Solar boosting energy efficiency and safety on Greek island

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has installed solar luminaires on Leipsoi Island in Greece to protect the island’s environment while enhancing safety in places that were insufficiently illuminated before. This sustainable lighting solution was commissioned by Fotis Mangos, Mayor of the Municipality of Leipsoi.

Philips SunStay combines the solar panel, luminaire, charge controller and battery in one housing, thus making for an elegant luminaire that is compact and easy to install and maintain. The built-in Passive Infrared (PIR) motion sensor enhances safety by increasing the light level automatically when people or cars are approaching. When no motion is detected the light level decreases to 30%, reducing energy consumption and increasing battery backup.

Solar lighting offers high-quality and reliable lighting with a design that fits into any environment with minimal requirements in terms of investment and maintenance, even when it concerns a single luminaire. This makes it perfect for illuminating places where there’s no or limited access to electricity, where the electricity grid is not stable, or where it’s very expensive to install an electricity grid.

“Solar lighting is a key part of our commitment to sustainability and to climate action, as we aim to help people move to cleaner technologies. The expansion of solar lighting in new areas of Greece, strengthens our vision to provide local communities with the security that results from high-quality solar lighting,” said Polydefkis Loukopoulos, Country Leader Signify Greece & Israel.

On top of the installation on Leipsoi Island, Signify is planning some additional activities in Greece, donating lighting fixtures and lamps to educational institutions in the Dodecanese, the group of islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. This is done through Signify Corporate Social Responsibility, which is committed to light up 10 million lives worldwide, by 2025.

Signify advocates the wide adoption of solar and hybrid-solar powered street lighting as it paves the way to lower carbon emissions and reduces the need for extra power stations, while accelerating the scale of renewables. Hybrid-solar technology allows streetlights to use clean solar-powered electricity when there’s sunshine and using the mains grid at other times. The use of solar streetlighting reduces the load on the mains grid, freeing up capacity for other applications, such as powering electric cars.

You can learn more about this solar lighting project on Leipsoi Island by watching this video.