A technology originating from Zhongguancun — graphene road lamps — are being installed on 28 streets in Tongzhou District, Beijing, which are 20 to 30 percent more energy efficient than current lamps. This is the first time graphene will be used as an illuminating material for civil use.

Graphene is a material with extremely strong electric and heat-conducting properties. The current general lighting systems produce 110 lumens per watt, but graphene lamps can reach 140 lumens per watt, which means the new lamps can be much brighter than normal ones.

A staff member of the Beijing Municipal Road and Bridge Group Co., which has taken charge of the installation of graphene road lamps, said people can see that the lamps' exteriors are made of black and grey composite materials and actually most of the heat-conducting adhesives and chips inside are produced with graphene.

A researcher shows off a handful of grapheme, a new material with strong electric and heat-conducting properties that has been under research in multiple industries. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Chen Wei, founder of MS Technology — a company focusing on heat dispersing materials research and the firm that first invented graphene lamps that were put into mass production, said the technology originated at Zhongguancun in Beijing, which indicates that the Beijing technology is being adopted in the city.

Heat-conducting adhesives need to melt graphene into the adhesive and make a new composite material to better utilize the heat conducting properties of graphene. This integration is one of the most difficult technological steps.

Because graphene can conduct heat well, it saves more energy than existing lamps, which means the size of heating panels can be smaller. This leaves more room for street decoration.

It is said that about eight or nine models including sails will be adopted on the road lamps to improve the look of the city.