FollowThis week, office solutions company Ricoh unveiled what it is calling the “eco-board” – a billboard powered entirely by solar and wind power in London. Situated on the M4 motorway, the billboard is equipped with 96 solar panels and five wind turbines, and it only lights up when it has produced enough energy to do so. It’s not the first of its kind, though- Ricoh has already installed similar billboards in New York and Sydney.
We have to wonder why a billboard would require such a massive solar array to turn on, or why a company would invest so many resources in greening a concept that could more simply be made zero emissions by returning to its predecessor’s technology: paint on a board. Nevertheless, this new innovation has promise for greening lit billboard arrays such as those found in Tokyo and in New York’s Time Square. Ricoh has already installed similar eco-boards in New York and Sydney, and we’re looking forward to seeing where they take this new technology.
Source: treehugger
