The world's first billboard running solely on wind and solar power is ready to make its debut in the capital of all billboards - New York's Times Square.
Wind whistling between the neighborhood's skyscrapers should keep the giant billboard lit constantly, its manufacturer Japanese copy and photo giant Ricoh Company said.
The "Eco-Board" weighs 15,800kg and will be powered by 16 vertical wind turbines and 64 solar panels.
"We wanted to make a statement that we can put up a advertisement and not impact the environment, so that began the journey to Times Square," Ricoh spokesman Ron Potesky said.
A highly congested part of midtown Manhattan, Times Square is home to hundreds of huge, brightly lit billboards and video screens.
Mr Potesky said the power generated from the custom-built wind turbines will account for 95% of the energy needed to run the sign, which is 14 metres high by 38 metres long.
The turbines, built specifically for the project by California wind technology company PacWind, are installed vertically. PacWind said the design was extremely efficient in comparison to traditional propeller types.
Mr Potesky said the project is not cheap, costing in excess of $US1 million for the technology and installation alone. However, he hoped other companies would follow the example.
"You could light a city for a year if we just converted billboards to non-fossil-fuel-based energy."
The largest environmental factor and the biggest difference between Ricoh's board and its neighbors' in Times Square is what it will not be producing - 16 metric tons of carbon a year.
Ricoh hopes to have the billboard operational by the end of January.
