Wind and Sun Power Times Square Billboard

article image
Photo by Jon Ander Rabadan/Courtesy flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/jarabadan/1808076962/)
Construction for the new billboard should be completed by early December.

A New York staple is on its way to a greener look. Times Square will be donning a solar- and wind-powered Ricoh Americas Corporation billboard near the end of the year.

Sixteen wind propellers and 64 solar panels will power the 126 by 47 foot sign. The sign, which will be 55 feet from the ground, could save as much as $12,000 to $15,000 in electricity per month. The wind propellers will power 90 percent of the $3 million sign, and solar will pick up the rest.

The company has a similar sign in Oska, Japan, but uses older technology with 26 small wind propellers and 39 solar panels.

The sign should be able to harness enough power to function with no sun or wind for four days. 

More about alternative energy

  • Published on Nov 18, 2008
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368