Christmas has new symbol this year in Munich – the Siemens Superstar. This technological project will light up the skies of the A9 autobahn – a main traffic artery not far from the Munich airport and used by well over 150,000 motorists every day – as a reminder of the importance of renewable energies and energy efficiency.

And what better place to demonstrate the sustainable use of electricity than a wind turbine? The operator of the “Superstar” wind turbine, Stadtwerke München (Munich City Utilities), offered its full support for the project and worked closely with us, at Siemens, and Munich multimedia artist Michael Pendry.

The project itself is inspirational.

The lighting installation consists of 9,000 Siemens Osram light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are as bright as around 20,000 Christmas candles. Yet the entire installation uses only as much electricity as a hair dryer or a water kettle. The lights are coordinated in real time with the various strengths of the wind and speed of the wind turbine itself.

In good weather, the art object can be seen for 30 kilometers. The span of the world’s biggest revolving Christmas star is nearly 70 meters – as wide as a soccer field.

While mainly symbolic, the “Superstar” may be just the inspiration Munich residents need to reach Mayor Christian Ude’s goal of being the world’s first city to meet all its energy requirements from renewable sources, by 2025.

It may also serve as a reminder to all watching the events at the Global Climate Conference in Copenhagen next week. Green innovations have the possibility to light our way to a better future.

To learn more visit: www.siemens.com/press/superstar