How would you feel about biking through a “fairy tale”? It’s late at night and you hop on your bike for a ride under the stars, but as soon as you hit the path – it appears as if the stars are not above your head as you’d suspect … but rather their right under your wheels. The incredible bike path installation from Dutch designer, Daan Roosegaarde.

The path is meant to replicate Van Gogh’s Starry Night and has been installed in the famous artists’ hometown, Nuenen.

While seeing this bike path might be enough to knock your socks off … it gets even cooler. The path was created using a special paint that collects energy by day using a connected solar panel. All of the energy that the panel stores during the day time is used to light up the pathway at night. Although the path is undoubtedly a work of art, it also serves a very functional purpose by eliminating the need for street lights.

In addition to the glowing paint chips, there are added LED lights around the curves of the path which will cast extra light to accommodate for cloudy days that impede the solar panel’s charge. Of the installation, Roosengaard says, “It’s a new total system that is self-sufficient and practical, and just incredibly poetic.”

A huge point of contention for solar panel use is that they are “ugly” and “impractical.” Not only does this bike path prove that is certainly not the case, but it represents an exciting new future filled with endless – and gorgeous – planet-friendly lighting solutions.

Roosengaard’s next project is a Smart Highway that uses the same sort of energy efficient technique to light high-traffic road ways. The innovation behind the highway is sure to blow your mind — there are plans to include wind powered lights that run on the motion of fast-paced traffic. Not to geek out too hard – but we’re obsessed.

All image source: Studio Roosegaarde