The hybrid streetlight is powered by a wind turbine and a photovoltaic panel. It is a pilot project of Taipei-based Digimax Innovative Products Ltd. which installed the light pole for free.
Inos said the project will help reduce the government’s utility bills.
Shigeyoshi Kato, special advisor to the governor and lt. governor, is a close friend of the company owners and was one of the project’s proponents.
Noting that the $5 million budget for the government’s utility cost for fiscal year 2012 may not be enough, Inos hopes that resorting to renewable energy will save the government some money.
“We have a $5 million budget for utility and we leave it at that and while it is not enough, we’ll do two things: one is reduce consumption and second, become more efficient and hopefully the fuel price will not go up or better yet, will go down to have some savings,” he said.
David Wu, Digimax chief executive officer, said the hybrid streetlight will not only save power but will also help protect the island’s environment.
“We are very proud to introduce this product,” he said.
Inos said “when CUC is down, this will be the only one standing,” referring to the hybrid streetlight.
