The US Energy Information Administration reports that wind and solar generated 17% of US electricity in 2025. Our feature story today describes two do-it-your-self solar billboards which John Music erected in Missouri. Does your company have any solar powered billboards. Take our poll below. We’ll report the results tomorrow.
What have you learned about solar power billboards? Where have they been a success. What are some operating and maintenance tips? Email davewestburg@billboardinsider.com or use the comment box below and we’ll run a followup
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I’m in California. I built a double 14×48 billboard in 2022. There was no utility power available. Without getting into detail, avoid solar if at all possible. The most oversized system in the world won’t work if it’s cloudy and foggy for two weeks in the winter.
I’m not sure what experience Mike had, but I have to disagree with his assessment. We’ve been building solar systems for billboards since 2012, and almost all of my customers are repeat customers. This includes Clear Channel, Yesco, Reagan and SignAd. They wouldn’t continue to buy from me if their systems didn’t work.
Proper sizing for winter weather is key, and occasionally, a bad winter may cause a board to go dark for a few days. It’s not the end of the world, and can easily be remedied with a SmartLink.
We only recommend solar if utility power is unavailable, and the customer is able to get a big enough premium for lighting the board that the system pays for itself in a few years. Since the design life of the solar system is 30 years, the solar system will pay for itself many times over.