A bio-design studio has developed smart lighting powered by plants, soil and water.
Research and design firm Nova Innova is collaborating with Plant-e on microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology to illuminate a range of design environments, most recently PEUGEOT’s photoshoot for its electric car, the E-5008.
Harnessing electricity from plants, water and organic waste, the shoot comes after the Rotterdam-based studio developed its first working prototype of the Living Light in 2016 – a plant that generates light when gently touched.
Ermi van Oers, CEO of Nova Innova, said: “We hope that this technology can be scaled and become part of our energy mix to help power more aspects of our lives in the future, including household appliances.”
In 2024, the studio announced it was collaborating on the world’s first floating water lamps in Rotterdam, Netherlands before delivering a living light installation in the city's Park van Morgen (Park of Tomorrow).
Oers highlighted the importance of demonstrating the tech in a memorable and unique way to prove humans can live in harmony with nature.
The MFC technology, invented by biotech company Plant-e, converts solar energy into electricity from photosynthesis.
In living plants, the leftover nutrients from this natural process release electrons captured by a biological battery to generate green energy.
The PEUGEOT ‘Powered by Nature’ night shoot forms part of an art exhibition in Saatchi Gallery, London, UK from May to July 2025.
Credit: PEUGEOT/George Williams
Image credits: Nova Innova