German Towns Allow You to Control Streetlights With Your Phone
German Towns Allow You to Control Streetlights With Your Phone
Posted 02/23/2009 at 1:06pm
| by Andy Salisbury
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If you find yourself in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, Germany late at night be sure that you’ve got your cell phone with you. In an attempt to save energy, the citizens of the town have set up their streetlights to turn off unless you use your cell phone to turn them on!
The program has been a moderate success so far. So far the town of only 900 has managed to save $5,300. Not too shabby! Other towns, such as Döblitz, resident Heinrich Frühauf tripped and fell in the darkness, and not long after the town was turning on their lights with cell phones as well.
Though, main issues with the program still remain. Many worry that this is just a gateway for corner cutting. Perhaps it might cause people to not use as much light as safety would require, causing for manhole accidents or night crime.
Image Credit: Dial4Light
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Marble Host
February 24, 2009 at 12:22am
Published 25 hours ago by Iria at
... I've often wondered just how much electricity is wasted because of
all the lights left on all night long in cities. I don't mean street
lights necessarily, so much as advertising and lights in closed stores
and the like. But as far as street lights go, some towns in Germany are
finding out just how much is wasted,<a href="http://www.marblehost.com">Marble Host</a>
Peanut Fox
February 23, 2009 at 6:31pm
They could just use solar panels to power the lights. Outside the inital cost of the panels the lights are paid for on or off.
Keith E. Whisman
February 23, 2009 at 2:55pm
This is really old technology. Small community airports remain open even after the tower closes. At night when tower is closed you have to dial in a specific frequency on your radio and key the mic to turn the runway lights on. Of course you have to do this while go through the landing checklist and communicating with local trafic.
I wonder if the lights for the whole town light up when you dial up.
And what turns the lights back off again? Is there any notice of impending darkness? What if the lights go off without notice right at a time when you really need the light like lets say you just notice that there are deadly poisonous snakes a few feet from you in every direction except behing you and at that very instant befor you can react the lights go out. Doh...
AndyYankee17
February 23, 2009 at 1:19pm
haha, nice, a better idea would be motion sensors for people that don't have cell phones or feel like using them
smashingpumpin
February 23, 2009 at 2:22pm
not really, never been there but im pretty sure there are deers and other large creatures roaming around y'know.
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...and what does this have to do with porn?
nekollx
February 23, 2009 at 1:35pm
that realy is how it should be. Why do we need light on a deserted street, motion sensors make the most sense
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