Insect-Friendly Lighting Along the Riverside Promenade
Project
Smart Lighting with "Biological Red"
Fürth, Germany
To protect insects, the municipal energy provider Infra in the Bavarian city of Fürth is adopting a reimagined approach to outdoor lighting. As part of a pilot project, a section of the Rednitz riverside promenade has been illuminated with red light since September 2023. One of the circular lighting profiles used is called "Biological Red", a solution designed to conserve resources while balancing the needs of people and nature.
This new form of lighting has the advantage of causing less disruption to insects and other nocturnal animals such as bats and owls. According to scientific studies, many species lack receptors for light in the long-wavelength (i.e. red) spectrum. As a result, they are not attracted to red light sources. For the human eye, however, the light remains sufficiently bright — even from a safety perspective.
A 250-metre stretch between Badsteg and the cultural venue at Badstraße is now illuminated by eight Tal luminaires. In addition to the "Biological Red" circular light profile, they are equipped with Esave technology – an innovative combination that protects wildlife while
helping to conserve energy and resources. Esave won the DALI Lighting Award 2023 in the Outdoor category for this project.
User Requirements
When replacing the existing luminaires, the city of Fürth requested insect-friendly lighting with red light for the summer months, combined with motion-sensing technology and dynamic, responsive lighting. Due to the project’s location in a natural riverside setting, the lighting needed to be individually dimmable. In addition, precise monitoring of energy consumption was required.
The Solution
An intelligent lighting system was developed using Esave technology in combination with a Circular Lighting profile. The Esave Hubs integrated into the luminaires are equipped with motion detectors. Different dimming profiles for white and red light were created for various usage scenarios. Specifically for Fürth and the "Biological Red" lighting profile, the switching points between warm white and red light were programmed to align with the seasonal transitions in spring and autumn.
Intelligent features implemented
Working closely with the customer, our experts developed, planned and implemented the technical solution together with Esave. Our service included the coordination and detailed planning, the development of the solution, as well as the commissioning and configuration of the system - both on-site and remotely.
Custom lighting scenes
The Tal luminaires feature an adaptive function that reduces their light output to ten percent between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., only increasing brightness again when motion is detected. Each luminaire is programmed with the "Biological Red" lighting profile, which adjusts the light colour depending on insect activity, shifting between the red spectrum and a warm white light. From March to October, each individual luminaire illuminates the riverside promenade in Fürth with red light; from November to February, it switches to 2700 Kelvin.
Adaptive lighting
"Adaptive Lighting" refers to a system where the light intensity of a luminaire increases as cyclists or pedestrians pass by.
Remote control & monitoring
Using the Esave Control web application, the entire system can be conveniently controlled and managed remotely. Supported by the Smart Lighting Configurator software and a USB radio stick, all relevant data can be centrally collected, analysed, and optimised.
Energy reporting
The integrated energy reporting records the actual electricity consumption of each lighting module with kilowatt-hour accuracy. This enables transparent documentation of savings and ensures fair and comprehensible billing.
Background
Tal, combined with the Circular Lighting Profile
"Biological Red", provides safety with special protection for nature and insects.
2700 Kelvin
Red light
Positively received by the public, the pilot project in Fürth is initially limited to one year. The red lighting is well suited for urban spaces close to nature, such as city parks or riverside promenades.
Thanks to the circular lighting profiles, insect-friendly lighting can be implemented in a particularly simple way, as each individual luminaire is programmed with the corresponding lighting profile and specific location before delivery. This allows for installation and commissioning without complicated planning. The only requirement is the exact location of the project.
object Uferpromenade Fürth
client infra fürth gmbh
lighting design Selux GmbH, Dwayne Waggoner
photographer Frank Pfeiffer
product Tal
special features Circular Light Profil – Biological Red (modified)
