Happy Eco New Year!
By Karina | January 1, 2009
You know, there’s really something about that New York Times – they’re always presenting really interesting news, and in a very timely fashion! Here are a couple of articles that are just that – timely, and interesting!
1. More Information about the LED Lights in Times Square! Last year we reported that they had swapped out the inefficient incandescent and halogen bulbs for LEDs, this year apparently they are doubling the size of the ball and will leave it lit up all year long!
This year the ball, made of crystal triangles, has been doubled in size to measure 12 feet in diameter. It will stay aloft all year long and also features three times as many L.E.D. bulbs (32,256 bulbs to be precise).
I am not sure if I’m a fan of such a special strange and glorious thing as the New Years Eve ball staying lit all year long, but I *am* a fan of awesome LED bulbs. Plus there’s a mention of the Times Square turbine-powered billboard in the NY Times article as well.
2. The blazing “2009″ sign in Times Square will be people powered this year! Duracell had an exhibit of stationary bikes out at Broadway and 45th St and visitors could hop on and charge up a bank of four batteries. It took 137,228 people to reach full capacity.
The “2009” sign is made up of 608 halogen bulbs that will require 7.25 kilowatt-hours of electricity to light up after the famous ball drop. By comparison, in 2006, the average residence in the United States consumed 920 kilowatt-hours per month.
The human-generated electricity will deliver enough juice to keep the bulbs blazing during the televised portion of the evening’s broadcast, or about fifteen minutes. Afterward, the sign will revert to the utility grid for power for the remainder of the night.
And look, more about the LED ball:
The numerical display isn’t the only New Year’s Eve sign in Times Square getting a green makeover: This year’s dropping ball, made of crystal triangles and illuminated by 32,256 LED bulbs, is 20 percent more energy-efficient than last year’s glowing sphere.
So, even though the ball is so much larger, I guess it’s 20% more efficient than last year – neat! But hey – how about giving the halogen lights in the “2009″ sign the same LED makeover that the ball got!
Happy New Year, Everyone!
[[Photo of 2008 ball from Flickr user NickHall via creative commons license.]]
Topics: General | 2 Comments »
“But hey – how about giving the halogen lights in the “2009? sign the same LED makeover that the ball got!”
I bet for the 2010 ball drop, they will give the “2010″ sign an LED makeover.
“But hey – how about giving the halogen lights in the “2009? sign the same LED makeover that the ball got!”
I bet for the 2010 ball drop, they will give the “2010″ sign an LED makeover.