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On the International Day of Light, City Green Light and the Municipality of Matera present the new public lighting system of the City of Sassi. The public lighting project, created by the Vicenza-based ESCo, represents the last stage in the history of a thousand-year-old city which, thanks to City Green Light, is projected towards a future in which technological innovation becomes the key to improving sustainability and ‘inclusion. Making, if possible, one of the most iconic Italian UNESCO world heritage sites, loved and consecrated by national and international cinema, even more beautiful. From Pasolini to Mel Gibson up to Cary Joji Fukunaga, who set the opening scenes of the latest James Bond with Daniel Graig in Matera.
At the press conference that has just ended at the House of Emerging Technologies in Matera, the Mayor of the city, Domenico Bennardi and Arturo D’Atri, Business Development Director City Green Light, were present for institutional greetings and the presentation of the project. Together with Pietro Laureano, Architect and urban planner and UNESCO consultant, Angelo Raffaele Cotugno, Councilor for Public Works and Innovation, Cecilia Putignano, Engineering & Technical Services Director City Green Light and Mario Di Sora, Italian Dark Sky Association Italian Section Representative.
THE PROJECT
The interventions, which began in May 2023 and are nearing completion, involve the redevelopment of the entire public lighting network, with the replacement of 10,564 light points with LED sources and 66 traffic lights. The total amount of investments in the area is approximately €7 million and includes, in addition to the replacement of lighting fixtures, also the adaptation of electrical panels, the replacement/installation of approximately 400 damaged supports and a further 300 furnishings in the center area historic, more than 10 km of cable lines, 108 remote control systems for detecting faults and monitoring consumption and anomalies, 4 intelligent pedestrian crossings, lighting of two roundabouts. The project, which involves the management of the system by City Green Light for 9 years, also includes the sharing of the energy savings achieved, the remote control of all the systems with participation in the Public Energy Living Lab (PELL) project promoted by ENEA , ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, 50% sharing of Energy Efficiency Certificates. The renewed public lighting infrastructure also allows the use of further technologies based on artificial intelligence, such as the monitoring of environmental parameters and traffic flows, to model the use of luminaires based on needs detected in real time. With positive effects on road safety and the reduction of CO2 emissions for the benefit of the environment and citizens. Among the services for infomobility and traffic and transport management developed by City Green Light for Matera, there is also a system specifically designed to meet the needs of visually impaired people. In fact, a network of radio beacons strategically positioned in various urban areas is being created, through which users, equipped with a special talking stick, have the opportunity to interact with the surrounding environment in a more autonomous and aware way.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: REDUCTION OF CONSUMPTION, EMISSIONS AND LIGHT POLLUTION
The City Green Light redevelopment project guarantees Matera the possibility of having a new, more efficient light powered by 100% green energy, with a drastic reduction in consumption, construction, operation and maintenance costs and, more generally , of the plant’s Carbon Footprint. With an energy saving of 74% (over 5,440,000 kWh) and a reduction in emissions equal to 1,388 tonnes of CO2/year, the equivalent of the carbon dioxide absorbed by 16,329 field maple trees. Furthermore, the LEDs used are 95% recyclable, do not contain dangerous substances and emit light directly in the visible field. The great attention to the design of the new system has in fact made it possible to combine the needs of use and valorisation of spaces and architectural assets with the need to reduce light pollution and environmental impact. To protect the local observatory (Spatial Geodesy Center of Matera) and nature reserves.
THE LIGHT THAT CARESES THE STONE
The heart of the intervention is the architectural redevelopment of the Sassi of Matera which, thanks to a lighting project developed together with exceptional partners, allows us to combine the need to give maximum emphasis to the architectural peculiarities of the site with compliance with sustainability criteria. Minimizing the environmental impact in terms of energy, light pollution and inclusion, thanks to special sensors designed to allow even visually impaired people to interact with the environment. With City Green Light, the ancient houses carved into the rock emerge with a new vitality, thanks to lighting fixtures specifically designed to respect the architecture and the surrounding environment. The result is a uniform light color, greater visual comfort, and the possibility of admiring the architectural details with a soft and welcoming light surrounded by a magical atmosphere, where the past and the present merge in a luminous harmony that celebrates the timeless beauty of the Sassi of Matera. Particular attention is paid to the most representative buildings of the historic center – the Cathedral, Palazzo Lanfranchi, the Churches of Santa Chiara, San Giovanni Battista, Sant’Agostino, San Francesco, S. Biagio, del Purgatorio – which will be enhanced with latest generation architectural lighting systems. Designed specifically for the city.
THE EXHIBITION
To tell with the power of images how the efficiency of public lighting combines with the ancient spirit of places, the photographic exhibition “Rekindling the imagination” was also set up at the Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti in Matera. Paths of light between past and present”, open to the public from today, with free admission.
The exhibition, inaugurated by Ivan Moliterni, Director of the Ombre Meridiane School of Matera, who oversaw the selection of the shots, proposes a path with a strong impact where light becomes the bridge between tradition and technological progress. From the ancient Sassi districts and the historic centre, where the natural games of full and empty spaces, of light and shadow, have visually worked the material, up to the most modern areas of Matera. To ignite the future of Matera and project the city towards a technological and sustainable future.
