Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde has turned a group of wind turbines into a light installation by connecting the structures with moving laser beams (+ movie).
Roosegaarde and a team of designers and engineers created the Windlicht installation at the Eneco wind farm in Zeeland, in the Netherlands, to "show the beauty of green energy".
Roosegaarde designed software that would allow a green laser projected from one turbine to follow a blade on the turbine next to it.
A tracking system predicts where the blade will be, then sends a signal to the hardware attached to the centre of the turbine – allowing it to adjust according to the strength of the wind and speed of the rotations.
"We wanted to bring a positive dimension to green wind energy, and to add a playful and poetic dimension to our landscapes," Roosegaarde told Dezeen.
"We took inspiration from the cultural heritage of Kinderdijk in order to show how nature and technology can create a symbiosis," he said.
The Dutch village of Kinderdijk was declared a world heritage site in 1997 by UNESCO thanks to its 19 traditional wooden windmills dating from the 19th century.
According to Roosegaarde, some energy companies are interested in using Windlicht as a "new icon". He hopes that the installation will travel around the Netherlands and Denmark, and then on to the USA.
"I love how people look differently at the windmills," he said. "Visitors just kept looking at the lines, as a zen state of being.
"They are a mesmerising experience, and create more awareness on the beauty of green energy."
Green energy company KPN supported the project, which has taken two years to complete.
"The update that the artwork gives to the landscape, represents important values such as sustainability and connectedness," said KPN CEO Eelco Blok. "Because these two values are of great significance for KPN, we are committed to this artwork."
"With Windlicht we support the idea of Roosegaarde that green energy is something to be proud of," he added.
Windlicht can be seen on 18 and 19 of March from 8pm to 11pm at the Eneco wind farm at St Annaland in Zeeland.
Daan Roosegaarde's previous green projects include a smog vacuum cleaner in Rotterdam designed to improve the city's air quality.
The designer also created a bicycle path coated with a special paint that uses energy gathered during the day to glow after dark, to encourage people to cycle at night.
His other work with lighting spans projects from an installation above a flood channel – called Waterlicht – to a highway illuminated by solar power.