Mother Nature Puts Freeze on "Green" Solar-powered Toilet
thenewamerican ^ | 12.30.08 | William F. Jasper
Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2009 5:28:42 PM by Coleus
With great fanfare, the City of Portland, Oregon, inaugurated its first solar-powered "loo" in Old Town, on December 8. "At the unveiling, mayor-elect Sam Adams gave the fancy new toilet its first ceremonial flush and Commissioner Randy Leonard was awarded with an honorary golden plunger," reported Portland's KGW-TV.
Leonard, who helped design the solar-powered outhouse, said the $140,000 price tag was nothing to worry about because "we're patenting the design and we intend to actually market them." The city could actually make a profit down the road, he said. Mother Nature was less than cooperative, however, dumping record-breaking snowfalls on the Portland area in the three weeks following the green loo's send-off.
According to news accounts, "Snow covered the restroom's roof-mounted solar panels, cutting off the flow of power to the storage batteries, which were completely drained and damaged." And without power, "The heat tape around the water lines stopped working, prompting the bureau to lock it up." No reports yet on how much the repair costs will be, or when the loo will be open for business again.
Scott S