In late March 2013, Keys officials celebrated the conversion of the island's electrical system to solar-powered energy, making the educational facility and visitor attraction energy efficient.

A 105- by 11-foot solar array was installed by Keys-based Sea Air Land Technologies to satisfy nearly 95 percent of the electrical needs for the 5.3-acre island beneath the middle of the old Seven Mile Bridge, located near Marathon at the midpoint of the Florida Keys.
 
For more than 100 years, electrical power on Pigeon Key was generated by steam or fossil fuels. But soaring fuel prices and a sense of environmental responsibility motivated the change.

Now, two banks of 24-cell batteries that each generate 48 volts store electricity to feed 240-volt inverters that handle 90 to 95 percent of the island's electrical needs.

In the early 1900s, Pigeon Key housed workers constructing the original Seven Mile Bridge, the awe-inspiring centrepiece of Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the island features restored cottages and a museum that showcases the railroad's fascinating history.
 
Officials believe that the near $225,000 solar investment will be paid back within five years for the island.

For further information on Pigeon Key, visit www.pigeonkey.net

For further information on the Florida Keys & Key West, visit www.fla-keys.co.uk

FOR MEDIA INFORMATION ONLY:
For more information and images, please contact Jo Thomas at the Florida Keys & Key West UK Press Office on 01825 763636 / jo.thomas@kbc-pr.com