on Jan 2nd, 2009Ringing In 2009 With People Power
How many tourists in Times Square does it take to light up the “2009″ sign on New Year’s Eve?
137,228.
That’s how many people it took to generate enough electricity to light up the numerical display that will blaze after the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops over Times Square in Manhattan on Wednesday night.
Beginning Dec. 2, holiday visitors stopping by the Charmin public restrooms on Broadway and 45th Street could ride the escalator two flights up and hop on one of six stationary bicycles that looked like snowmobiles and were rigged to electric generators. The generators charged a set of four large batteries that will light the sign and help green the annual event.
Duracell, the battery manufacturing company that set up the “power lodge
By Dec. 27, the original goal of 230 pedaled hours had been surpassed by more than 20 percent. On Sunday, the batteries were transported to a new location for safekeeping until Wednesday night.
Some visitors to the power lodge Monday, like Megan Coakley, 13, were disappointed they were too late to help fuel Wednesday’s festivities. “It would’ve been awesome to try the bikes,” said Miss Coakley, who traveled from Tinton Falls, N.J., with her twin sister and parents, Beth and John, to visit New York for the day.
Although the bikes are no longer in use and now available for viewing only, visitors to Duracell’s hub can still recharge gadgets at power terminals, hang out in front of an artificial fireplace or play one of several Nintendo Wiis stationed in the lodge. Ms. Coakley and her family declined to linger, saying they had game consoles at home.
Jeremy French, 21, a field manager for Gigunda, the marketing team staffing Duracell’s lodge, said that the facilities were even popular with local Manhattanites. “A group of elderly women came in several times to ride the bike,” said Mr. French. “They brought water bottles and would go at it for 20 minutes or so a day.”
The “2009” sign is made up of 608 halogen bulbs that will require 7.25 kilowatt-hours of electricity to light up after the famous ball drop. By comparison, in 2006, the average residence in the United States consumed 920 kilowatt-hours per month.. [ More ]
[ Via The New York Times
]