Digital signage presents an incredible opportunity for commercial integrators. Costs for installing the technology is projected to be slashed in half over the next four years, meaning retailers and restaurants will be more interested in implementing a system.

Plus, there’s plenty of potential for recurring revenue.

But not everyone has been enthusiastic about digital signage, especially environmentalists. A study published by Scenic America say billboards use 30 times the amount of energy of a home and 46 times that of traditional billboards. Since modern signage is usually in operation around-the-clock, the research indicates that 10,000 diodes can be required for a single billboard.

Commercial integrators working with clients concerned about the environment now have another tool and their disposal. Data from consulting firm Louis Berger Group shows that in the past four years, energy used in billboards 12 by 24 feet decreased 40 percent and 61 percent for billboards 14 by 48 feet.

And last summer, Ricoh completed a 100 percent solar powered digital billboard at 3 Times Square, at the corner of 7th Avenue and 42nd Street. The display measures 47 feet high by 126 feet long and is powered by 62 solar panels and 24 thin-film PV solar modules. Sixteen LED floodlights are also used to light the billboard. It will only be illuminated if sufficient natural power is collected.

“When Ricoh decided to advertise in Times Square, we wanted to do so in an environmentally-responsible way that would have minimal negative impact on the environment.” says Jason Dizzine, Ricoh Americas Corporation director of corporate communications. “Most billboards deliver a message, but this billboard is itself the message.”

That message has been so well-received that this summer the company launched a 100 percent sustainable ‘eco-board’ in London. Ricoh says its the first billboard of its kind in Europe.

How do ‘eco-boards’ work? Watch this video to learn more.

About the author

Maxine Giza

Maxine is an assistant web editor for commercialintegrator.com. She graduated from Emerson College with a M.A. in journalism and Endicott College with a B.S. in communications. She joined EH Publishing in 2011.

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