Reports out of China state that graphene-based road lighting fixtures are being installed in 28 streets in Beijing, which are said to be up to 30% more energy efficient than current fixtures. These graphene lamps can reportedly reach 140 lumens per watt, which means the new lamps can be much brighter than currently used ones, that produce 110 lumens per watt.
The fixtures' exteriors are made of black and grey composite materials and most of the heat-conducting adhesives and chips inside are said to be produced with graphene. The Chinese official PR mentioned a company called MS Technology but its exact role is not clear. It is said to be "a company focusing on heat dispersing materials research and the firm that first invented graphene lamps that were put into mass production".
Due to graphene's excellent heat conducting properties, these fixtures can potentially save more energy than existing lamps, which means the size of panels can be smaller. 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.
This is not the first time where graphene was sought for use in lighting fixtures. Another such venture was Graphene Lighting, a company that designs and manufactures next-generation LED lighting, using graphene as a thermal dissipation solution. It has developed the Graphene Light Bulbs, and a full product rollout is supposed to be underway which includes a full range of home, commercial and street lighting.