Ulster County Legislature Candidates have two campaign signs that are illuminated by solar power. The signs feature photos of candidates Gary Bischoff, Marcy Goulart, Alverta Jones and Nicole Tucker. This is certainly the first solar illuminated campaign sign in Ulster County and possibly New York. According to Gary Bischoff who designed the system, "we wanted to have something different this year, and to feature a modern technology. Lighting up any signs at night is nothing new, but using renewable energy adds an interesting twist. We believe in renewable energy, and wanted to send a message that we want to contribute to not only the knowledge base, but demonstrate a practical application of solar technology."

There are two signs in Saugerties, one on Blue Mountain Road between Centerville and Mt. View Market and another on Market Street Ext. They are lit every evening, even on cloudy and rainy days.

Bischoff went on to describe the system. "We used an 80 Watt solar panel which can supply almost 5 Amps at peak sunlight. During the day, the panel charges a battery, replacing the energy that was used during the night. An Electronic Control Concepts Solar Controller monitors the state of the battery and controls the amount of current going to the battery. At night the ECC Controller automatically switches on the lights. The lights stay on until dawn or until the battery reaches full discharge. Each lamp is built with 120 LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and operate from 12 Volts. The low energy bulbs consume 5 Watts of power. The battery is an Interstate Deep Cycle Marine battery."

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