From Ecological Conservation to Zero-Carbon Cities, We Are Illuminating Sustainable Urban and Rural Areas with "Friendly Light." |
Torrent Chin, President of LEOTEK Corporation
"Light" plays a key role in the balance of the ecosystem. To preserve biodiversity and create a friendly environment of light, LEOTEK, a part of LITEON Group, leads the industry with our intelligent lighting technology. For the first time, we have designed light sources for different creatures, pioneering the ECOridge ecological lighting technology. Through interdisciplinary research in optics and biology, we aim to precisely design specific wavelengths and intelligent lighting systems based on the perspective of organisms. This technology is applicable to ant control, guiding land crabs through culverts, sea turtle conservation, etc. LEOTEK has received recognition with the international Edison Award and the Corporate Innovation Award of the Taiwan Biodiversity Awards. The development process follows the "Global Nature-Based Solutions Standard" issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and incorporates the outdoor lighting principles published by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). Based on the recommendation to reduce the use of harmful blue light, we have decreased blue light emissions to below 2%. Our technology not only reduces the impact of artificial light on the ecosystem but also uses new masks to minimize scattering and enhance visual comfort, creating a lighting environment that fosters harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
LITEON exerts its core business functions and continues to help disadvantaged and remote rural areas improve their basic quality of life through public welfare microgrid projects, ease the economic burden of electricity consumption, promote the popularization of clean green energy, and enhance disaster prevention resilience to create a sustainable community.
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2021.03.06 From "Biodiversity" to "Urban Net Zero"! The world's first conservation effort for "Night Pearls", a unique species of fireflies in the Matsu Islands
In response to the global goal of net zero by 2050 and biodiversity maintenance, LITEON Group's subsidiary LEOTEK held a press conference today (March 6) for the signing of the memorandum of cooperation on the "Matsu Archipelago Ecological Lighting Demonstration Zone". The Hsinchu Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, the Lianjiang County Government, and the Chinese Culture University were invited to support the "Shine on Taiwan: Friendly Lighting Environment Project". Together, we invest in the conservation of Matsu fireflies, setting a new milestone for strategic cooperation with multiple partners. President Hai-Tao Jin of LEOTEK stated, "The maintenance of biodiversity has become a global trend. With new cross-domain connections and upgraded applications in lighting technology, the new generation of urban road lighting systems must meet both ecological conservation and road safety requirements to fulfill our commitment to sustainability.”
Both the United Nations Climate Change Conference and the Convention on Biological Diversity emphasize the urgent need to preserve biodiversity. The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report further highlights that “biodiversity” is at the third highest level of global risk in the next decade, following “climate action” and “extreme weather”. Among them, the "Matsu fireflies" are regarded as precious firefly natural resources in the Asia-Pacific region and are endemic to the region. According to research data from the Lianjiang County Government, the distribution and number of this species have shown a downward trend year by year, revealing that there is an urgent need for conservation and restoration. In addition to causing visual disturbances to wildlife due to their excessive brightness, the wavelengths of traditional LED street lights also overlap with those emitted by fireflies. This direct interference occurs in open grassy areas alongside roads, significantly reducing mating among fireflies and adversely affecting the continuity of their population.
LEOTEK's International Innovation and Research Center will collaborate with Professor Chia-Hung Hsieh's research team from the Department of Forestry and Nature Conservation at Chinese Culture University. Together, we will use the world’s first ecological lighting technology, ECOridge, in the "Matsu Islands Firefly Ecological Lighting Demonstration Area" to protect and restore the firefly population in the Matsu Islands. Through cross-field research in optics and biology, we aim to precisely design proprietary wavelengths and smart lighting systems based on the organisms to reduce the impact on fireflies. The development process follows the "Global Nature-Based Solutions Standard" issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and incorporates the outdoor lighting principles published by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). Based on the recommendation to reduce the use of harmful blue light, we have decreased blue light emissions to below 2%. Our technology not only reduces the impact of artificial light on the ecosystem but also uses new masks to minimize scattering and enhance visual comfort, reducing light pollution and improving lighting quality in the Matsu Islands. In recent years, governments around the world have increasingly recognized the importance of eco-friendly lighting systems. For instance, the United States has passed lighting regulations, and Maui in Hawaii has restricted blue light content to below 2%. The ECOridge ecological lighting technology can adapt to local conditions to provide the most suitable lighting system.
In the future, ECOridge ecological lighting technology can be integrated with AI smart maintenance and operation systems to provide fault warnings, ensuring that maintenance units can promptly serve community parks, mountain trails, mountain and coastal highways, national parks, and biodiversity hotspots. The technology will enable comprehensive smart monitoring, enhancing the operational efficiency and maintenance quality of smart lighting while ensuring road safety for the public. Director General Hwa-Ching Lin of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, stated, "The industry-government-academia cooperation will help improve the habitat quality of the Matsu fireflies and increase the native population. We hope that this achievement can become a model for ecological conservation in Taiwan. At the same time, we are working hard to implement the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, creating a better environment and life for future generations together."
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2023.05.22 Using our core technologies to implement ecological conservation, LEOTEK won the first "Taiwan Biodiversity Award"
First from the right, President Hai-Tao Jin of LEOTEK; fifth from the right, Ambassador Eugene Chien, Chairman of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy; and sixth from the right, Mei-Ling Fan, Secretary-General of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.
In response to the growing international emphasis on biodiversity, the "Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards (TCSA)", known as the "Oscars of Corporate Sustainability", is held by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE). This year, the "Taiwan Biodiversity Award" was introduced for the first time. Following the recent important announcement of LEOTEK's collaboration with the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture on the National Ecological Green Network project, LEOTEK was the only one to win the inaugural "Taiwan Biodiversity Award" for Innovation in the For-Profit Enterprise category today. This award once again affirms LEOTEK's long-term dedication to core technological innovation and efforts to create sustainable urban and rural environments in harmony with nature
LEOTEK, a subsidiary of LITEON, has established urban infrastructure in over 30 countries worldwide. In recent years, it has been dedicated to promoting smart, sustainable, and low-carbon strategies. The "Comprehensive Ecological Lighting Technology" developed specifically for biodiversity is the first project on special light sources based on the perspective of biological vision. Recognizing the close relationship between outdoor light sources, biological rhythms, and ecological balance, LEOTEK began independently developing eco-friendly light sources three years ago. Collaborating with experts and scholars from various fields, LEOTEK designed and created the "Comprehensive Ecological Smart Lighting System", which uses different color temperatures and spectra. This system provides the best customized outdoor lighting solutions for local species and road environments, balancing development and conservation.
The award-winning "Comprehensive Ecological Lighting Technology" by LEOTEK has actually garnered significant attention in the U.S. market since last year. This technology not only won the prestigious global "Edison Award", but its specialized spectrum lighting fixtures also received certification from Florida Wildlife Lighting, allowing these fixtures to be used in sea turtle conservation projects. Today, LEOTEK
has won another award with the "Taiwan Biodiversity Award", highlighting the critical impact of light sources on species conservation. This issue has long been a major focus in global sustainability discussions.
The inaugural "Taiwan Biodiversity Award" ceremony was held on the International Day for Biological Diversity. LEOTEK took this opportunity to share our achievements in biodiversity, including reducing the impact of urban lighting on phototactic insects and alleviating the long-term inconveniences experienced by nearby residents, enhancing the quality of life for people and maintaining the ecological balance practically. Meanwhile, LEOTEK's optical research and development team will collaborate with the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture, various government agencies, and experts and scholars in the latter half of the year. We will launch the "Shine on Taiwan: Friendly Lighting Environment Project", which will focus on species conservation and habitat maintenance in Taiwan. This initiative aims to promote cross-disciplinary connections for environmental sustainability and build inclusive, safe, and resilient sustainable urban and rural areas.