Ricoh uses wind and solar power to put its name in lights

14/08/2011

The billboard will be disconnected from the grid to prove the energy used comes entirely from the onsite renewable technologies. The solar panels and turbines are expected to generate 12.6kw a day to light up the red lettering from first light or first wind until about three o'clock the following morning.

Europe's first eco billboard will be seen by drivers entering London from Heathrow Airport. Anyone driving into London on the M4 from today will gain a fresh insight into the power of advertising when they pass a giant billboard illuminated solely by energy generated by wind turbines and solar panels.

Document management and printing giant Ricoh will flick the switch on its new 36-metre-square billboard at seven o'clock this morning, unveiling the 96 solar panels and five micro wind turbines that will power the board's lighting.

The billboard will be disconnected from the grid to prove the energy used comes entirely from the onsite renewable technologies. The solar panels and turbines are expected to generate 12.6kw a day to light up the red lettering from first light or first wind until about three o'clock the following morning.

The company declined to reveal the value of the investment in the billboard, or which companies have supplied the devices, saying only that the wind turbines were supplied by a Japanese firm.

James Deacon, head of corporate responsibility at Ricoh UK, said the billboard forms part of the company's efforts to raise its profile among both consumers and business customers.

He said the company was keen to tell people that Ricoh is investing heavily in reducing its environmental impact, adding that it has already installed a solar powered billboard in Manhattan's Times Square and is planning three further "eco boards" at different headquarters around the globe.

The Ricoh eco board is located on the M4 motorway and will sit along other digital and neon billboards advertising to drivers entering London from Heathrow airport or the west.

Earlier this year, outdoor advertising company Lamar Advertising announced plans to convert 1,370 of its billboards in Florida to be powered by renewable energy and even feed power back into the grid, creating a network of miniature power plants.

businessgreen.com

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