NEWS

Now you can power up your electronic devices while catching a breather or a breeze in the heart of Northern Illinois University’s campus.

On June 11, workers from Bluebolt installed 100% solar-powered charging benches in front of Cole Hall, near the DuSable Hall bus circle and on the east and west sides of the Martin Luther King Commons.

The four Bluebolt benches serve as both resting places and charging stations. They operate entirely off the grid, using solar power stored in a lithium battery to power charging stations and provide evening lighting. Each bench is equipped with four wireless charging pads, four hardwired locations, overhead lighting and backlit poster areas for advertising.

The installation came at no cost to the university. Bluebolt manages all aspects of the bench program, including advertising sales within university-approved categories.

Courtney Gallaher, director of NIU Campus Sustainability, said the following:

“We’re happy to see people already using these benches.

While we’ve already started other large-scale solar panel projects this summer, the benches bring added visibility to the idea of solar power on our campus.”

The university will receive a share of any advertising revenue. “The revenue will allow us to fund additional sustainability projects on our campus,” Gallaher said, adding that it’s possible more benches will be installed in the future.

This article was originally posted at NIU Today.