Green Christmas in Rockefeller Center
November 24, 2007 at 4:40 pm 2 comments
Posted by Ed Maurer:
This year will be a little bit greener for the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. It will be donned with LED lights instead of the traditional incandescent bulbs of the past. Switching to LED lights will reduce the energy consumption from 3,510 kilowatt hours to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day. To put that in perspective, it will save as much electricity as a single family with a 2,000 square foot home would use in a month. The green tax on LED Christmas lights is not cheap, but the power savings over the lifespan of the lights is far better for the pocket book.
LED Christmas lights for the consumer will cost about $14 for a 23ft string of 70 multi-color lights. The same strand of lights using incandescent bulbs will cost about $5. Triple the cost, but double the cost savings in electricity and a much longer life span. (source http://www.1000bulbs.com)
The tree in Rockefeller Center will contain 30,000 LED lights making it the first ever “green” Christmas tree. Green methods are being employed to generate power for the center as well with the installment of 363 General Electric solar panels on top of 45 Rockefeller Plaza. Tishman Speyer is the company that installed these panels designe by AltPower and they generate 70 kilowatts of electricity. The power generated by these panels will be used throughout the year to help reduce the electrical demand including the hot summer months.
(source: nyc.gov)
Entry filed under: Energy, green. Tags: christmas, green, led, lights, rockefeller center, Solar.
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Sheryl McCoy | December 13, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Great article. High COOL factor! LED lights and solar panels.
In a documentary about wind power, I saw a roof top windmill/turbine being used in urban settings. Since I have never been to NYC, I can’t say for sure, yet I would think that the city would have a great amount of “canyon wind”.
Even in small downtown areas, like Wichita, KS, there is a significant wind that flows between the buildings, no more than 30 stories;) if that! I have noticed this same affect in downtown New Orleans, and it is stronger in the winter.
That wind represents an untapped source of energy. Of course, these are only ideas and I haven’t figured out a way to tap into that energy source. Someday, someone will!
Thanks for keeping up with the latest!
2. The Green Tax, Show #18 « The Green Tax | December 15, 2007 at 11:39 am
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