Florida Town Uses Sunlight To Power Street Lights
A Florida neighborhood is using the sun to “see the light”. The Turtle Rock neighborhood in Palmer Ranch (Sarasota) may very well be the first in the nation to install solar-powered street lights.
The community of Turtle Rock decided to switch from natural gas powered street lamps after last year’s spike in fuel prices. “Our gas bills were projected this year to be $75,000 annually. Couple of years ago, they were down to $35,000. So that’s a tremendous savings to the homeowners,” says resident Terry Cooney.
The eco-friendly move had an added bonus, it qualified the neighborhood for a solar investment tax credit of $60,000.
Board member Bob Knickerbocker says not everyone in the community embraced the idea to switch from gas to solar, but many have changed their minds…and like being a trendsetter. “So we’re first, we’re green, and we’re saving a lot of money…so I think people are happy about that.”
The solar powered lamps utilize solar panels that collect the sun’s energy and charge a battery at the bottom of the pole. Once the sun goes down, that battery then powers the light.
Most of the light poles contain energy-saving bulbs. “This is a 7 watt bulb. It’s an LED bulb and it gives off about twice the light that we were getting from the gas lights,” says resident Tom Bass.
The $200,000 cost for the new solar lights were offset by the money saved on natural gas and the solar tax credit.
The community will now serve as a model for others. The technology should especially benefit towns and neigborhoods in the South and Southwest, where sunlight is plentiful and the winters are mild.
source: mysuncoast.com
