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posted by janrinok on Wednesday February 25 2015, @11:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the renewables-rock dept.

The Center for American Progress reports

As part of its first major retrofit in 30 years, two custom-designed wind turbines have started generating power for the Eiffel Tower. Located above the World Heritage Site's second level, about 400 feet off the ground, the sculptural wind turbines are now producing 10,000 kWh of electricity annually, equivalent to the power used by the commercial areas of the Eiffel Tower's first floor. The vertical axis turbines, which are capable of harnessing wind from any direction, were also given a custom paint job to further incorporate them into the iconic monument's 1,000-foot frame. At the same time they bring the image of the 1889 tower firmly into the 21st Century.

[...]In addition to the wind turbines, the renovation includes energy efficient LED lighting, high-performance heat pumps, a rainwater recovery system, and 10 square meters of rooftop solar panels on the visitor pavilion.

There was no required renewable energy target for the Eiffel Tower's facelift, but the project developers see it as a major landmark in Paris' climate plan. The city's plan(PDF) aims for a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 25 percent drop in energy consumption, and for 25 percent of energy to come from renewable energy sources by 2020.

 
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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday February 26 2015, @07:23AM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday February 26 2015, @07:23AM (#149877) Journal

    but it is pretty good for a site that can't be disfigured for historical reasons.

    But is being disfigured for pretentious environmental-themed status signaling.

  • (Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday February 26 2015, @08:51AM

    by frojack (1554) on Thursday February 26 2015, @08:51AM (#149892) Journal

    But is being disfigured for pretentious environmental-themed status signaling.

    Well yeah, there is that.
    You can't even notice these vertical turbines from the ground, but simply converting to LED lighting everywhere would probably saved more power than they will ever generate. The flood lights they use at night are enormous. Perhaps no LEDs that big yet.

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