Segway Inventor Creates 'Net Zero Energy' LED Island

Segway inventor Dean Kamen is turning his three-acre island home, the regrettably-named North Dumpling, into the first "net zero energy" island.  With no mainland electricity connection, the entire island uses solar power; Kamen has brought in Philips Color Kinetics to replace all lighting with LEDs.  Kamen has also fitted energy efficient appliances and water purification systems, some of which he invented himself.

"With increasing strain on our world's energy resources, our goal is to make North Dumpling a small but prominent example of what can be achieved on a larger scale with today's emerging energy-saving technologies. It's an excellent demonstration of science and engineering as the antidote to the complex challenges of our time" Dean Kamen

Replacing the standard bulbs with LEDs in the various buildings on the island is enough to cut the overall lighting bill by 70-percent.  Of course, that doesn't let you illuminate, among other things, your replica Stonehenge (what, you mean you don't have one?) with multicolor LEDs; still, even with the extra feature lighting, the bill is still halved. 

Kamen has previously attempted to establish North Dumpling as an independent nation state, with a separate flag, constitution and national anthem.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, his move has not been legally recognized.

[via designboom]