Solar Power Sentenced to Life in Alcatraz

Posted by EcoFriendly

Mar 19

alcatraz solar roof space Alcatraz Island is going solar. Known best as the most famous prison in the United States, Alcatraz is also home to the oldest lighthouse on the West Coast, and what was once a beacon for ships entering the Bay Area will now serve as a beacon for solar energy.

The National Park Service announced in the first week of March that Alcatraz will be equipped with 1,000 solar photovoltaic panels, to be installed on the main prison and laundry building. The panels will provide between 40 and 60 percent of the prison’s electricity needs and eliminate the need for two diesel generators that currently cost $700,000 annually to operate.

The solar system will be installed this spring using money drawn from the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package. The projected cost of the solar power system has not been released.

Alcatraz began as a military prison in 1861, was taken over by the Bureau of Prisons in 1934, and became home to some of America’s most notorious criminals, including Al Capone. In late 1969, a group of Native American activists occupied the prison for 19 months and nine days, winning several key victories for Native rights, including the rescinding by President Nixon of the Indian termination policy designed to end federal recognition of native tribes. Alcatraz is now a popular tourist attraction and home to some unique flora and fauna.

Via San Jose Mercury News and Wikipedia

Photo Credit: Wikipedia