Super-bright and yet consuming very little energy, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are one of the greenest ways to provide illumination. That’s why they’re chosen for nearly any eco-friendly light installation, often powered by solar panels or another source of renewable energy. These 12 amazingly creative and artistic LED light displays really show off the capabilities of LED lights, from a 92-foot-high LED cathedral in Belgium to a river full of floating LED spheres in Tokyo.

Energy Field Expo 2012

(images via: atelier brueckner)

10,000 LEDs illuminated 380 59-foot-tall blades of ‘rice plants’ for a stunning installation at Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea. Meant to mimic an overgrown field of rice, the installation was created to celebrate a Korean oil company’s transition to clean energy. Not only do the blades, made of artificial bamboo, sway in the wind like real plants – they also react to their surroundings. Activated by touch, the plants send out waves and flashes of light when people walk through the pavilion.

100,000 LED Spheres in the River at Tokyo Hotaru Festival

(images via: steve nagata 1 + 2)

The Sumida River in Japan gave off a beautiful and somewhat eerie blue glow during the Tokyo Hotaru Festival when 100,000 solar-powered LED spheres went floating downstream. The installation was meant to mimic a swarm of fireflies bobbing along the river. At the end of the installation, the spheres were caught in giant nets.

Cathedral Made of 55,000 LED Lights

(images via: licht festival gent)

It’s a jaw-dropping cathedral for the modern age: a spectacular showcase of 55,000 LED lights, created for the 2012 Light Festival in Ghent, Belgium. The Luminarie De Cagna, as it was called, towered nearly 92 feet into the air.

Zero Energy GreenPix Media Wall

(images via: greenpix.org)

The entire front wall of the Xicui entertainment complex in Beijing, China is one big LED display – and the whole thing runs on solar power! Aptly named the Zero Energy GreenPix Media Wall, this wonder of LED technology was first created for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The photovoltaic panels that power the lights are integrated into the glass curtain wall of the building.

Bruce Munro’s Field of Lights

(images via: bruce munro)

Known for his complex light installations that look like high-tech fields of flowers, Bruce Munro takes his works of art on the road for displays that are placed outside museums and landmarks all around the world. This version of his installation ‘Field of Light’ illuminated the grass with little LED spheres outside the Holburne Museum in Bath, UK in fall 2011.

Twilight Epiphany Skyspace in Houston, Texas

(images via: rice university)

From a distance, the Twilight Epiphany Skyspace by James Turrell almost looks like a UFO hovering over the landscape. The 72-square-foot floating canopy at Rice University in Houston, Texas includes a complex arrangement of LED lights that interact with the natural light present during sunrise and sunset. The LED light sequences are arranged according to the solar calendar so the light and music shows never happen at exactly the same time.

Dynamic LED Design for Moscow’s Pushkinksy Cinema

(images via: studio toggle)

While this proposal wasn’t ultimately chosen to reimagine Russia’s Pushkinsky Cinema for the “Changing the Face – Moscow 2011″ design competition, it certainly would have made a bold statement. ‘Rossiya’s Flourish’ by Studio Toggle would have rotated the axis of the cinema by 30 degrees and surrounded it with an LED-covered “ruffle” that projects images.

Glowing Fish Sculptures Made of Recycled Bottles

(images via: inhabitat)

Not only are these giant illuminated fish sculptures really cool looking, they’re also made from recycled plastic bottles. The two giant fish emerging from the sand of Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were made for the Rio +20 Conference for sustainable development.

200 Solar-Powered LEDs in NYC’s Hudson River

(images via: windmill factory)

The Hudson River in New York City got a temporary transformation in August 2011 when the Windmill Factory art collective recreated the night sky in the water. The art installation consisted of 201 solar-powered LED lights installed on a dilapidated pier. Sparkling in the river, the wireless lights looked like stars.

Key Frames Light Installation, France

(images via: groupe laps)

Over 60 illuminated stick figures danced against the night sky for the ‘Key Frames’ light installation at Fête des Lumieres 2011 in Lyon, France. The figures are made of LED light tubes that flash in time to original music composed for the installation.

Wrecking Crew Orchestra’s LED Dance 

(images via: youtube)

Japanese dance troupe Wrecking Crew Orchestra put on quite an incredible Tron-inspired performance with the help of flickering choreographed LED outfits made by illuminate. Dancing in a pitch-black room, the lights on the suits go on and off, making it seem as if some of the performers are appearing and disappearing at the blink of an eye.

OLED Installation Inspired by Cherry Blossoms

(images via: torafu architects)

This beautiful shimmering installation was inspired by Yozakura, the Japanese custom of taking in the sights and scents of blooming cherry trees by night. Torafu Architects used thousands of exposed OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels in red and white, covered in paper ‘petals’.