San Francisco unveils solar-powered bus shelters

Includes LEDs, WiFi technology

Steve Hawley, Jun 03, 09.

San Francisco unveiled its first solar-powered bus shelter last Thursday, according to Streetsblog. The city aims to have 1,100 such shelters by 2013, all featuring photovoltaic cells, LED lighting, and WiFi internet access. Any excess electricity will be fed back into the grid.

At the opening ceremony, Mayor Gavin Newsom told the crowd, “Transit shelters that use photovoltaics, LEDS, and WiFi are going to be standard in the future and I’m proud that San Francisco is once again acting like the pace car for other cities by trying and implementing these technologies.”

The shelters are also designed to reduce maintenance costs and resist graffiti, and the design is supposed to evoke images of the hills of San Francisco, seismic waves, and the Bay Bridge. Clear Channel has a 20-year contract to build the shelters, which will cost $25,000 to $30,000 each. The company will share 55 percent of the revenues with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

(Photo credit: Inhabitat)