We have waited almost three months for the world’s first eco-friendly billboard, entirely powered by the sun and the wind, to show up in New York’s Times Square.

Reuters reports that the "Eco-Board" weighing 35,000 pounds (15,800 kg) and powered by 16 vertical wind turbines and 64 solar panels is ready to make its debut in the capital of all billboards -- New York's Times Square.

Ron Potesky, spokesman for Ricoh Americas Corporation that owns the sign said the power generated from the custom-built wind turbines will account for 95 percent of the energy needed to run the sign, which is 47 feet high by 126 feet long, and carries the company's name in huge red letters. 

“On the corner of 42nd (Street) and 7th (Avenue) there is a lot of wind. So we expect that this will be lit 24 hours a day seven days a week, mainly by wind power, a little bit by the sun”, Potesky said.

However, initial report suggested that the $3 million billboard would go dark when there’s no sun and no wind and that the company was prepared for that.

The turbines, built specifically for the project by California wind technology company PacWind LLC, are installed vertically. PacWind CEO Mary Watkins said the design was extremely efficient in comparison to traditional propeller types.

"When other turbines have to stop spinning because the wind is too high, our turbines can keep going and the higher the wind the more power they produce," she said.

By generating its own electricity the sign could prevent 18 tons of carbon from being spewed into the air yearly.

Source: Reuters

Related News

HSBC's Climate Change Awareness 'Global Warming Pool'