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A few months back, we introduced you to Evan Meyer’s Beautify Lincoln project, a volunteer funded effort to make Santa Monica’s Lincoln Boulevard vibrant through art and community. We were interested in using our solar expertise to become involved, and as of last week, we helped Lincoln Boulevard become a little brighter.

One of the businesses that received a Beautify Lincoln makeover was TRiP, recently named Best Neighborhood Music Venue of 2013 by the LA Weekly. In addition to the huge splash of color that Evan’s mural added to TRiP’s entryway, TRiP’s owner had a vision to immerse a tree adjacent to his business with light.

To help him out, we installed twelve 35-watt solar panels recycled from a previous project that charge a gel battery throughout the day, and light up LED flood lights aimed at the tree at night. Here’s how it works: the solar panels, lights, and battery are hooked up to a charge controller. During the day, the panels charge up the battery, and when the sun goes down, a timer sequence is initiated. As soon as the timer winds down, the tree is lit up by the battery powered LED lights, and these lights stay on for about 6 hours throughout the night.

TRiP tree lit up by solar powered lighting

TRiP tree lit up by solar powered lighting

Between art murals, solar powered lights, live music, and a great beer selection, there’s no reason not to include TRiP on your next weekend outing.