NYCT Brightens Your Day With Solar Panels
Esaura Alcantara: I'm Esaura Alcantara with a Going Green podcast on TransitTrax, New York City Transit's podcast Service.
(Sound: Trains arriving at Stillwell, Coney Island))
The Stillwell Avenue station in Coney Island, Brooklyn is home to four subway lines, and is used by 11,000 riders a day. Running the station takes a lot of energy, some of which (200,000 kilowatt hours) is generated by the roof above rider's heads.
And how does that happen? Thomas Abdallah, is Chief Environmental Engineer at New York City Transit, and he explains.
Thomas Abdallah, Chief Environmental Engineer: The sunlight hits this material and it excites electrons. These excited electrons moving around the material, we capture that movement in an electrical circuit, and that produces electricity.
Esaura Alcantara: Transit also uses solar energy panels at the Corona Barn, the home of the number 7 train fleet, and at the 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue station along the line in Queens.
In the Bronx, the Department of Buses has been generating energy at the Gun Hill depot from its roof top solar installation since 1996. At a length, equaling three football fields, the roof-top array at Gun Hill is one of the largest solar facilities on the East Coast.
Thomas Abdallah: It saves approximately about the amount that would power about 30 single homes.
Esaura Alcantara: Solar Energy produces no emissions, has no moving parts which requires no maintenance, and it's the cleanest alternative generation method.
Thomast Abdallah: The solar panels are made out of a semi-conductor, it's the same material you see in computer chips.
Esaura Alcantara: So whether you're riding a bus in the Bronx or visiting Coney Island this summer, you can take comfort in knowing that New York City Transit is making sure the sun shines bright for everyone.
For more information on New York City Transit's role in helping to make the air we breathe cleaner and other sustainability programs, log on to www.mta.info, and click on MTA Sustainability Initiatives.
For TransitTrax, I'm Esaura Alcantara. Thanks for listening, and thanks for riding with New York City Transit.
Back to Transittrax Main Page
Esaura Alcantara: I'm Esaura Alcantara with a Going Green podcast on TransitTrax, New York City Transit's podcast Service.
(Sound: Trains arriving at Stillwell, Coney Island))
The Stillwell Avenue station in Coney Island, Brooklyn is home to four subway lines, and is used by 11,000 riders a day. Running the station takes a lot of energy, some of which (200,000 kilowatt hours) is generated by the roof above rider's heads.
And how does that happen? Thomas Abdallah, is Chief Environmental Engineer at New York City Transit, and he explains.
Thomas Abdallah, Chief Environmental Engineer: The sunlight hits this material and it excites electrons. These excited electrons moving around the material, we capture that movement in an electrical circuit, and that produces electricity.
Esaura Alcantara: Transit also uses solar energy panels at the Corona Barn, the home of the number 7 train fleet, and at the 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue station along the line in Queens.
In the Bronx, the Department of Buses has been generating energy at the Gun Hill depot from its roof top solar installation since 1996. At a length, equaling three football fields, the roof-top array at Gun Hill is one of the largest solar facilities on the East Coast.
Thomas Abdallah: It saves approximately about the amount that would power about 30 single homes.
Esaura Alcantara: Solar Energy produces no emissions, has no moving parts which requires no maintenance, and it's the cleanest alternative generation method.
Thomast Abdallah: The solar panels are made out of a semi-conductor, it's the same material you see in computer chips.
Esaura Alcantara: So whether you're riding a bus in the Bronx or visiting Coney Island this summer, you can take comfort in knowing that New York City Transit is making sure the sun shines bright for everyone.
For more information on New York City Transit's role in helping to make the air we breathe cleaner and other sustainability programs, log on to www.mta.info, and click on MTA Sustainability Initiatives.
For TransitTrax, I'm Esaura Alcantara. Thanks for listening, and thanks for riding with New York City Transit.
Back to Transittrax Main Page
