Last year, the Otaki Mail broke the story of Otaki man Hamish Scott, and his Starpath invention that was setting Britain alight.
Since then, Starpath technology has been fundamentally changed and the experience enhanced to a point where the path is now more than twice as bright as the previous version, facilitating rapid take-up by Councils across London and the UK. It is therefore now absolutely a real alternative to street lighting.
Pro-Teq (Hamish’s company) is about to enter into global distribution agreements to install Starpath around the world, in response to the 3000 or so requests for distribution / licensing agreements received to date, from the Britain, US, Australia and NZ.
Essentially Starpath provides a twofold benefit – a brand new surface (repairing and replacing / sprayed over the top of the existing surface), with the added bonus of not needing any streetlights!
Installation cost is comparable with removing and replacing the existing surface, though Starpath has the obvious ongoing environmental (leaving the existing surface in situ) and energy saving advantages – which make the overall cost significantly less (particularly the no streetlights aspect).
The recent Starpath surface laid in Swansea’s Bryn-y-Don Park has received an extremely favourable response from the public, such that the Swansea Council has issued this press release covering off the ground-breaking technology:
Councillor Sybil Crouch, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Sustainability, said: “This is the latest in a number of schemes to significantly improve Bryn-y-Don Park for nearby residents and people who pass through the area every day.
“Not only does the Starpath look lovely at night, but it’s also sustainable and energy-efficient, capturing sunlight to enhance safety in unlit areas.”It’s our goal to work with local residents to transform Bryn-y-Don Park from a neglected patch of land into a valued asset for the communities it serves. This project shows how serious we are about realising our objective.”
Cloe Gerrard, Chairperson of the Friends of Bryn-y-Don Park, said: “We’re thrilled with the new path and so happy that Swansea Council has been able to provide this for our community. It gives the Friends of Bryn-y- Don Park a fantastic point to progress from and you’ll hopefully be able to see more positive changes soon.”
Where to from here ?
Starpath is the sort of technology that fits well with concepts espoused by Otaki’s Cleantech centre, and the boffins there are very keen to learn more.
KCDC have expressed cautious interest, and the next logical step would be for the Otaki man’s invention to come back home!
Watch this space……