On June 18, 1979, groundbreaking was held for the nation’s first solar-powered radio station at WBNO AM, Bryan. WBNO cooperated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratories, and the U.S. Department of Energy in conducting the photovoltaic power system experiment as part of the Department of Energy’s program to bring solar cells into widespread use by the 1980s. Information on operating performance and maintenance cost was collected locally. A 15- by 20-foot addition was constructed to the radio station to house storage batteries and a computer to be used in gathering operational data. The solar array measured 110 by 160 feet. WBNO began using power generated by the solar array on August 29, 1979. This August 1979 image of the WBNO solar array is from the Richard Cooley collection.
