Jacksonville, Florida Businesses Power Up With Renewable Energy
Discovery Plaza mall on the south side of Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida has added renewable energy sources to their power mix. The strip mall has installed two thirty foot high wind towers – called Windspires – and an array of solar collectors on the rooftops of two of the buildings. The alternative energy is used to power the common areas of the mall, like parking lot and security lights. Tenants still get their own electricity from traditional sources. While the Windspires are more noticeable, the ninety rooftop solar panels actually provide most of the energy to the mall.
In addition to providing clean energy, the Windspires have gotten the mall a lot of publicity, generating both attention and foot traffic for the mall's tenants. Some shoppers even believe that the Windspires were designed as a marketing ploy. Tenants at Discovery Plaza certainly don't mind the extra attention.
The towers were put up in late 2009 by Jacksonville, Florida based Erickson Energy, and cost about $15,000 each to build and install. Company president Frank Erickson said that the mall's main goal was to lower their energy bills. He estimated that the mall's investment would pay off in about four years.
Erickson is now benefitting from the buzz created by the Windspires. He will be opening a store in the mall to demonstrate alternative energy sources to homeowners and businesses in the area.
Read more about the alternative energy being used at Jacksonville's Discovery Plaza by visiting Wind towers, solar panels help power Jacksonville strip mall.
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