STARS4ALL · Project

Smart Light Pollution Sensors That Help Cities Cut Wasted Energy Spending

environmentPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

You know how cities blast lights upward into the sky all night long? That wasted light costs Europe 6.3 billion euros a year and messes with people's sleep and wildlife. STARS4ALL built low-cost photometer sensors that citizens can deploy on rooftops to measure exactly how much light is being wasted in their area. The data feeds into a platform that helps communities push for smarter, more efficient lighting — saving energy bills and protecting health at the same time.

By the numbers

6.3 billion €/year

Energy wasted on light pollution in Europe annually

2 billion US$/year

Energy wasted on light pollution in the USA annually

Light Pollution Initiatives deployed during the project

9 partners, 6 countries

Consortium size and geographic spread

Total project deliverables produced

EUR 1,970,140

EU contribution to the project

The business problem

What needed solving

European cities and businesses waste 6.3 billion euros per year on artificial light that shines uselessly into the sky instead of where it's needed. This wasted energy drives up electricity bills while simultaneously harming public health through sleep disruption and damaging biodiversity. Until now, there has been no affordable, scalable way for cities or companies to measure exactly where and how much light is being wasted.

The solution

What was built

The project built prototype photometer sensors for measuring light pollution, along with separate communication modules supporting Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth for transmitting data. It also created a platform for launching and managing Light Pollution Initiatives, deploying 10 such initiatives across Europe, and produced 43 deliverables in total.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal lighting departments looking to identify and reduce energy waste from street lightingOutdoor and street lighting manufacturers wanting to prove their products minimize light pollutionEnvironmental consultancies conducting light pollution impact assessmentsSmart city platform operators integrating environmental monitoring sensorsAstronomy tourism operators and dark sky reserve managers needing pollution monitoring

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Municipal Lighting & Smart Cities

enterprise

Target: City utilities and municipal lighting departments

If you are a municipal lighting authority dealing with rising energy bills and citizen complaints about excessive street lighting — this project developed photometer sensors with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth modules that map light pollution across your city. The data helps you identify where lights waste energy by shining upward, so you can target retrofits where they save the most money. Europe wastes 6.3 billion euros per year on light thrown into the sky.

Outdoor Lighting Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Street and commercial lighting manufacturers

If you are a lighting manufacturer looking to differentiate your products in a market increasingly driven by energy regulations — this project created sensor technology and a data platform that quantifies light pollution. You could integrate these photometers into your luminaire product line to offer customers verified proof that your fixtures minimize upward light waste, turning regulatory compliance into a selling point.

Environmental Consulting

SME

Target: Environmental impact assessment firms

If you are an environmental consultancy that needs to measure and report on light pollution for development permits or biodiversity studies — this project built prototype photometer sensors with wireless communication modules that collect standardized light pollution data. The platform aggregates citizen-collected measurements, giving you a cost-effective monitoring network instead of deploying expensive professional equipment at every site.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy these light pollution sensors?

The project developed prototype photometer sensors designed for citizen deployment, suggesting a low-cost design intent. However, no specific unit pricing is provided in the available project data. The total EU contribution was EUR 1,970,140 across 9 partners, covering sensor development plus the entire platform and 10 Light Pollution Initiatives.

Can this scale to monitor an entire city or region?

The platform was designed to aggregate data from citizen-deployed sensors across multiple locations, with 10 Light Pollution Initiatives launched across 6 European countries. The sensor prototypes include Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth communication modules, allowing flexible deployment at scale. Based on available project data, the architecture supports distributed monitoring but commercial-scale manufacturing readiness is not confirmed.

Who owns the IP and can we license the sensor technology?

The project was coordinated by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid with a consortium of 9 partners including universities, research organizations, and one SME. IP ownership would follow the consortium agreement. Based on available project data, licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the coordinator.

Does this meet regulatory requirements for light pollution measurement?

The photometer sensors were built as functional prototypes with communication modules for data transmission. While the project addressed growing European awareness of light pollution impacts, the data does not specify compliance with specific metrology or environmental measurement standards. Regulatory certification status would need to be verified with the consortium.

How long has this technology been tested?

The project ran from January 2016 to December 2018, a 3-year period. Prototype sensors and communication modules were developed and deployed through citizen science initiatives. The 10 Light Pollution Initiatives operated during the project, providing real-world usage data.

Can the sensors integrate with existing smart city infrastructure?

The prototype communication modules support Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth connectivity, which are standard protocols in smart city systems. The platform was designed to collect and aggregate sensor data centrally. Based on available project data, integration with specific smart city platforms would require additional development work.

Consortium

Who built it

The STARS4ALL consortium of 9 partners across 6 countries (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, UK) is heavily research-oriented with 3 universities and 3 research organizations, but zero industrial partners and only 1 SME. This 0% industry ratio is a significant gap for business adoption — the technology was developed in an academic context without commercial manufacturing or market validation input. The coordinator, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, brings strong technical credibility but a business partner looking to commercialize the sensor technology would need to bridge the gap between prototype and product independently or negotiate a technology transfer arrangement.

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRIDCoordinator · ES
FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN EVparticipant · DE
CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE ET D'INDUSTRIE DE REGION PARIS ILE-DE-FRANCEparticipant · FR
CEFRIEL SOCIETA CONSORTILE A RESPONSABILITA LIMITATA SOCIETA BENEFITparticipant · IT
EUROPEAN CROWDFUNDING NETWORKparticipant · BE
UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTONparticipant · UK
INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIASparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) — contact through SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how light pollution monitoring can cut your energy costs? SciTransfer can connect you with the research team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

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