Big Wheel Powered By Solar Energy

   It rises nine stories above the Santa Monica Pier deck. Since its construction in 1998, its revolving lights have become a familiar nighttime sight on the Southern California coast. And it's one of the few attractions in the area which is not dependent on conventional electricity. 
   It's the Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park on the Pier, the world's first solar-powered Ferris wheel. 
"Our one-of-a-kind attraction utilizes an innovative and efficient solar energy program," said park manager Mary Ann Powell.
   The 130-foot wheel generates more than 71,000-kilowatt hours of renewable photovoltaic (PV) power from the sun's rays. On cloudy days, the wheel relies on conventional power. 
   650 PV, modules are mounted on top of the park's loading area. The modules generate the requisite electricity to power the wheel, which operates automatically, with no buttons or switches. 
   The Ferris wheel was invented by a bridge builder, George Washington Gale Ferris, in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago commemorating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in this hemisphere. It cost an estimated $350,000 and was driven by two 1,000 horsepower reversible engines. 264 feet high, it was supported by two 140-foot steel towers and had 36 wooden cars. After the exposition, it was dismantled, re-assembled for the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and scrapped in 1906.