Rockefeller tree going solar

By amNewYork

November 21, 2007

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Adding a new dimension to the traditional Christmas colors of green and red, the tree at Rockefeller Center this year will use the greenest energy available-- solar power.

The electricity for the lights will be generated by 363 solar panels recently installed on the roof of 45 Rockefeller Plaza on West 50th Street, just across from the massive tree.

"We have here the largest private solar roof in Manhattan," said Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of Tishman Speyer, co-owner of Rockefeller Center, in a statement yesterday. "[The solar roof] will help conserve energy, eliminate carbon dioxide, and power the 30,000 LED lights on our iconic Christmas tree."

By using solar power for the 42 days they are lit, those lights and their five miles of wire will use only 1,297 kilowatt hours per day of electricity, instead of the usual 3,510 kilowatt hours. The savings are enough to power a large home for a full month.

Speyer also announced plans yesterday to cover the roof of Radio City Music Hall with desert plants that can recycle more than a half-million gallons of wastewater annually. The green roof will also help keep the building cool in the summer and might even be adopted as a Manhattan pied-à-terre by migrating birds.

(Justin Rocket Silverman)

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