Ricoh Japan is planning to set up a  billboard powered by natural energy in New York City’s Times Square in December.

The sign will be equipped with 45 solar cell panels and four wind power turbines, producing a maximum of 98 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day. Ricoh’s American subsidiary says the billboard (47 feetx126 feet) might not be illuminated in case there is not enough solar or wind power.

The Ricoh sign cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 18 tons per year. The company erected an eco-powered neon billboard in Osaka as early as 2003 [JP].