Wonder Wheel Will Turn Green With Solar Power
It's raining, it's still February, and a car alarm has been bleating outside our windows forever. So let's just focus on this beautiful photo of the Wonder Wheel and remind ourselves that someday this winter's gonna end, and the Coney Island amusement district will be functioning on some level. There's a news peg, too: The Wonder Wheel (which became our favorite ride after realizing that the Cyclone can really mess you up) is going green!
Deno Vourderis, whose family has owned and operated the ride for three generations, plans to bring lights back to the landmarked ride. The lights were removed in the '80s because the electrical wiring worried Vourderis, who tells the Daily News, "There were 120 volts running right next to people. I don't think it would pass today's code. But this year, they're going to be all safe and all green. Instead of being powered by Con Edison, it's going to be powered by solar panel."
The solar panels are being installed on the top of the Wheel's 16 "swinging" cars, and each panel will generate 960 watts of electricity. If all goes well, he'll install more panels and run the entire ride off solar energy next year. We just love Vourderis, 28, for statements like this: "Everything in my house is energy efficient. I don't drink [bottled water]. I'm a little nuts. I get made fun of in my family a lot." And he expects the lights to "bring back the old look - the look that people knew the Wonder Wheel for." Suck on that, February.
