# S-tree-t Lights



## AirMarionette (Mar 13, 2010)

"Taiwanese researchers have come up with the elegant idea of replacing streetlights with trees, by implanting their leaves with gold nanoparticles. This causes the leaves to give off a red glow, lighting the road for passersby without the need for electric power. This ingenious triple threat of an idea could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, cut electricity costs and reduce light pollution, without sacrificing the safety that streetlights bring.

As many good things do, this discovery came about by accident when the researchers were trying to create lighting as efficient as LEDs without using the toxic, expensive phosphor powder that LEDs rely on. The gold nanoparticles, shaped like sea urchins, put into the leaves of Bacopa caroliniana plants cause chlorophyll to produce the reddish luminescence.

In an added bonus, the luminescence will cause the leaves’ chloroplasts to photosynthesize, which will result in more carbon being captured from the air while the streets are lit. The next steps are to improve the efficiency of the bioluminescence and apply the technology to other biomolecules.


Gold Nanoparticles Could Transform Trees Into Street Lights | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World


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## ThisIsWhereIrunAway (Oct 25, 2010)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Angelic Gardevoir (Oct 7, 2010)

That's. Just. Awesome.


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## Skum (Jun 27, 2010)

FFuuuuuuuuu


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## Zic (Dec 30, 2009)

I'd better stock up on gold then, he he...


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## PseudoSenator (Mar 7, 2010)

But...but...this goes against the status quo of inefficiency.

Ex-tree-mely treemendous innovation.


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## moon (Nov 29, 2008)

Omg please happen


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## Jojo (Jul 5, 2010)

Ummm. Amazing.. That totally sweet! Now is it going to be cost effective?


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## Thinker96 (Feb 24, 2010)

this is so cool!


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## MachinegunDojo (Dec 27, 2009)

If the tree's started sprouting off the roadside will our whole planet eventually glow?  That'll piss off us backyard astronomers.


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## kexx (Nov 24, 2010)

What about when the leaves fall off? I'm assuming it wouldn't completely get rid of street lamps. You would probably have to have street lamps that are light sensitive and near the trees so if the trees don't allow for enough visibility one day then the lamp will make up for it by producing just enough level of light. 

This is a very cool idea though. <333333 My mom said awhile back that they should put small, dim lights on trees in forests to keep deer away from the roads more. My mom's house is out in the country and they chill out near the roads because they have light to see predators better, but then are spooked and run into the road and cause accidents

EDIT: Also, I wonder if the gold nanoparticles continue to reproduce when the new leaves bud in the spring or do we have to keep applying it?


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## ZeroFire (Nov 7, 2010)

I love ideas like this. Maybe if they made the tree's evergreens? Hell, we could even genetically modify the trees to not like... Lose their leaves? The technology is there; it's just making it affordable and accessible is the real challenge.

Also, wouldn't using gold make the trees/leaves a target for thieves? Picture it: Tree theft. A whole new type of crime.


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## MissNobody (Aug 23, 2010)

Why do I find this hard to believe?


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## ZeroFire (Nov 7, 2010)

umbrellasky said:


> Why do I find this hard to believe?


What makes you feel skeptical? Curious :0


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