Last week, the world's attention was focused on Las Vegas thanks to the Consumer Electronics Show. With that backdrop of bleeding-edge technology, the city's iconic welcome sign received a little technological makeover of its own.
The flashy "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign hasn't traded in its nostalgic 1950s look for OLEDs, but is now being powered entirely by a newly installed solar tree array that went live for the first time last week. The three solar trees powering the neon and incandescent lights contain a total of 18 photovoltaic cells.
The project was led by local nonprofits Green Chips and the Clean Energy Project, with funding coming from a variety of organizations, including the Consumer Electronics Association, which puts on CES.
"The Las Vegas Valley is one of the sunniest spots on the planet,” said Commissioner and Green Chips board member Chris Giunchigliani. "We are delighted to harness that sunshine and use it to power such an iconic symbol of our community. The project will forever tie our storied past with the possibility of an exciting future powered by solar energy."
The next time you hit Vegas for a night of hazy debauchery, be sure to stop at the new sign and snap a couple pics of yourself – you can call it "ecotourism."
Source: Clark County
