First Solar Wifi City in the US?

St. Louis Park, an unassuming city a few miles west of Minneapolis, may be the first in the country to provide solar-powered wireless internet to its residents. If the idea passes a final City Council vote next week, they will begin the installation of a network of wifi nodes powered by some 400 PV panels situated on public infrastructure around the city. It’s not free however, and through the public/private partnership, residents would be able to pay $15 a month for 128 kilobyte speed or $20 for 1 meg (which does appear to be a pretty decent deal). As reported in the Star Tribune, the city expects to save $40,000 to $50,000 a year by using an entirely solar-powered system as opposed to grid power.

Green wireless internet is a spreading meme. The NGO Green Wifi is hoping to bring solar wireless to people in the developing world, a notion meant to dovetail with the $100 laptop. In NY, a group is selling pixels to raise the funds for a solar and wind powered system, while a handful of other cities (like San Francisco and Boulder) are wrangling with free-wireless-for-all legislation. Some are even working out back pack hacks, while others eschew wifi altogether. Folks in St. Louis Park will know on Nov. 6th whether their solar-powered wireless network is a green light. :: The Star Tribune via Hugg (Jetsongreen the incredible!)

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