ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Ann Arbor's historic Michigan Theater is going solar. Or at least its marquee is.
The Ann Arbor News reports that the solar energy installation marks the first renewable energy project by XSeed Energy. The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Cities program provided initial funding for XSeed.
The project is expected to generate enough electricity to power the marquee when light-emitting diode lamps are installed. The LEDs will replace incandescent bulbs and should use up to 95 percent less energy.
Theater executive director Russ Collins says in a news release that besides saving energy, LED lights last 10 times longer than the bulbs being used now on the marquee. Theater officials plan to invest energy savings from the marquee into other energy efficiencies.
