Main-Light, Frankfurt am Main (DEU)

ewo is involved as a development partner for lighting and controls in the Main-Light project, which Munich-based designers Tobias Trübenbacher and Andreas Lang are realising within the framework of the World Design Capital (WDC) Frankfurt RheinMain 2026. Main-Light is a self-sufficient, solar-powered lighting solution for public spaces: without cable infrastructure, with an insect-friendly light spectrum and demand-responsive controls. The pilot project is being realised in 2026 at Weseler Werft in Frankfurt and runs from May to October. For ewo, the project is a direct expression of its own guiding principle: empowering wellbeing outdoors.

Tobias Trübenbacher and Andreas Lang developed Main-Light as a response to specific urban conditions. Many paths, squares and cycling infrastructures in cities are inadequately lit at night. Equipped with a flexible lighting system, these spaces would become more attractive to people, because orientation, safety and wellbeing would be assured. The project demonstrates how lighting, renewable energy and intelligent design can be combined into a coherent solution that offers users of urban spaces a higher level of quality of stay.

The Main-Light system operates entirely off-grid. Transparent, colour-printed solar films from ASCA generate energy from sunlight during the day, which is stored locally. At night, the stored energy powers demand-responsive lighting of the urban space. Integrated sensors ensure that light is generated only where people are actually present. In standby mode, the system dims to a minimum, providing basic orientation while remaining highly energy-efficient and avoiding unwanted impact on nature or the urban environment. During the day, the films cast light patterns on the ground and create shaded areas for people to linger. Trübenbacher and Lang deliberately transformed the solar technology from a functional element into a design element.

The pilot project is embedded in an education and events programme for WDC 2026: workshops, talks and panel discussions on light, energy and sustainable urban development accompany the installation at its location. Trübenbacher and Lang plan to develop Main-Light further as a model project. For cycle paths, parks and previously unserved public spaces, the system offers a technologically accessible and design-quality solution for developing urban space and making it accessible to people around the clock.

ewo supplies the lighting and control technology for the Main-Light project. An extensive range of different light distributions is available, allowing the system to be optimised for different uses and locations. Footpaths andcycle paths can be lit with the same precision as streets or larger open squares. The light spectrum is tailored to nocturnal insects and animals: short-wave blue components that affect fauna and biological rhythms are reduced. Full cut-off optics direct light precisely downward, avoiding glare for users, unwanted spill onto surrounding buildings and ensuring that no light is scattered into the night sky. The controls respond to actual presence and use infrared sensors to distinguish between animals and people. Light is only emitted when it delivers genuine benefit for the urban space.

Every component of the lighting and control technology contributes to ensuring that the energy generated by the solar films during the day is used as efficiently and sparingly as possible. For an off-grid system, these properties are decisive in enabling reliable continuous operation. Ecological ambition and technical precision complement each other here.

A comparable technological approach has already proven itself in the predecessor project Papilio. This is a windpowered, off-grid street luminaire that Trübenbacher developed as part of his bachelor’s thesis and for which ewo also served as technology partner. Main-Light continues this collaboration.