Times Square Getting Eco-Friendly Billboard

Times Square is getting its first environmentally friendly billboard powered entirely by wind and sun.

Construction begins this month on the 35,000-pound billboard advertising the Ricoh Americas Corporation, an office equipment and document storage supplier.

It will have 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels and produce enough power to light six homes.

The sign may not be quite as dazzling as some of its neighbors along Broadway.

It will be lit by floodlights, rather than light-emitting diodes, and won't have a backup generator, so it could go dark during a long period with little wind or sun.

But company spokesman Ron Potesky says the sign's turbines will probably be able to keep the billboard lit even after four days without breezes or bright sun.