| Turtle Rock, a small sub-community in the larger | | | | (PV) panel, and above that is a battery. At the end |
| development known as Palmer Ranch, may be the | | | | of the day, energy stored in the battery from the |
| first community in the United States to adopt solar | | | | PV panel lights an LED (light-emitting diode) bulb. The |
| technology for its street lights. | | | | ones in Turtle Rock are rated at 7 watts, but LED |
| Solar street lighting has recently turned up in some | | | | lighting is more direct, so the actual illumination is |
| far-flung and unlikely places, most notably Tanzania, | | | | about twice what the gaslights were producing. Most |
| Dubai, Afghanistan and Nigeria, but Turtle Rock is, as | | | | important, LED bulbs last about 25,000 hours, as |
| far as we know, the first place in Florida (and the | | | | compared to 1,200 for a standard 100-watt |
| first place in the U.S.) to use it extensively. | | | | incandescent bulb. At 10 hours per night, this is 7 |
| Palmer Ranch, Sarasota's largest master-planned | | | | years between bulb changes. |
| community, covers 10,000 acres and consists of | | | | The final cost? About $120,000, but the new lights |
| eight communities, of which Turtle Rock is one. The | | | | also give off zero carbon emissions, which means |
| actual number of street lights in Turtle Rock is 175. | | | | Turtle Rock is reducing its emissions footprint by |
| This year, the community of retirees and young | | | | about 420 tons. This is equivalent to taking about 70 |
| families was facing a $75,000 bill for its natural-gas | | | | cars off the road. |
| street lighting. A switch of some kind was inevitable. | | | | The system was installed by solar industry pioneer |
| Solar street lighting may have come as something of | | | | Tom Harriman, who got his solar license in 1982. |
| a surprise to a few residents, but once the solar | | | | Harriman, past president of the Florida Solar Energy |
| investment tax credit ($60,000) was applied, costs | | | | Industry Association and an innovator in alternative |
| came down significantly and opposition faded. | | | | energy training, has been recognized by the |
| Bob Knickerbocker, who sits on Turtle Rock's | | | | Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as a solar industry |
| homeowner's association board, calls it a "green" first | | | | leader. EDF is a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental |
| that is saving residents a lot of money, which makes | | | | advocacy group. |
| everybody happy in these lean times. | | | | Over his lifetime working as a solar installer, Harriman |
| More important, solar street lighting is relatively | | | | says, he has personally reduced CO2 emissions by |
| maintenance free. A pole supports a photovoltaic | | | | almost 2 million tons. |