Germany’s Bright Idea

Every night at 11 p.m., the village of Dörentrup in central Germany is thrown into total darkness. Strapped for cash for the past few years, the local council has taken to switching off all the streetlights. But while the scheme saves money, it left residents like Dieter Grote and his wife worrying about their children coming home in the dark. “My wife has all the good ideas,” says Grote, who runs an advertising agency. “I discussed the problem with her and we thought it must be possible to have the lights available on demand.” Grote got in touch with the local utility company Lemgo and noodled a solution: How about turning on the village lights with a simple telephone call? A few months later, Lemgo had developed a special modem and software and, together with Grote, launched Dial4Light — billed as the first project of its kind in Europe.

The residents of Dörentrup can now switch on the lights on a specific street whenever they like. All they have to do is register for the scheme online and provide a phone number. Each time they need to see in the dark, they call the Dial4Light number and either recite or enter the six-digit code — which can be found online or on every lamp in each street — that corresponds to the stretch of road they want lit. Within seconds, the lights are on, and they’ll stay on long enough for someone to walk from one end of the street to the other. “The scheme is easy for everyone to use,” says Grote.

After a pilot project last year proved a big hit with the public, Dörentrup council has decided to roll out the scheme for the entire village (pop. 9,000). Utility company Lemgo estimates it will cut Dörentrup’s carbon emissions by some 12 tons each year compared with leaving the streetlights on all night. “We found out that on each stretch of road, people only switch on the lights up to three times each night,” explains Frank Bräuer, project leader at Lemgo. “That’s why this system works in villages or on the outskirts of a town where residents don’t need the lights burning all night.”

Despite complaints from angry residents worried about their safety, the mayor of Dörentrup, Friedrich Ehlert, still defends his original decision to flip the switch. “If I watch TV at home, and then go into another room, I switch the lights off in the lounge,” he says. “People shouldn’t expect the streetlights to be on when they’re not outside.” But he’s delighted with the new scheme, pointing out that, although the council picks up the electricity bill every time anyone uses Dial4Light (locals pay for the call), it’s still cheaper than running the streetlights through the night. “We’re cutting electricity bills and we’re doing something to help the environment,” says Ehlert. “Everyone can do their bit.”

(Read: “In a Warming World, Cloudy Days Are a Boon.”)

Lemgo says there are plans to launch the scheme in five other countries, including Norway, Sweden and France, and also says it has received requests for its technology from as far away as Dubai and the U.S. With the recession hitting government budgets everywhere, and growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, letting residents choose when to light up the night is an idea worth switching on to.

Let There Be Light
If someone can make a phone call, they can use Dial4Light for on-demand street-lighting

STEP ONE
Register your phone on the scheme’s website

STEP TWO
Call the number and recite or punch in the six-digit code that corresponds to the street you want lit up

STEP THREE
Seconds later, a control center will switch the lights on for a few minutes

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