Designed to make renewable energy an integral part of city life, the Totem street light is solar powered and stores enough energy to be used in emergency situations where traditional power grids fail. The lamp also acts as a wifi and 4G hub and provides an electric vehicle charging station.

If used in large enough numbers, the Totem team believes the street light could greatly increase communities’ sustainability and help reshape cities’ use of utilities. The street light should be available from summer 2017.

As take up of renewable energy sources increases, innovators are finding ways to make the devices and processes even more valuable. In Germany, the world’s first combined wind-hydro power plant has been built, and a new solar panel design is providing clean drinking water for families living in particularly arid climates. How else could sustainable energy be used to provide multiple services?