By KEITH ROYSDON
kroysdon@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — Delaware County’s first “green” street lights are here.
The first of 23 wind-and-solar-powered street lights have been installed at Park One/332, the business park at Interstate 69 and Ind. 332, and another 27 will be placed at locations to be determined by local officials.
The lights are the product of VAT, a German company chosen by Delaware County officials for a $1 million contract for the lights. In exchange, VAT has promised to employ more than 100 people at a Park One facility by 2011.
VAT has ties to Brevini USA and Brevini Wind, and the first of the 24-foot-tall street lights are being installed near Brevini buildings at Park One.
Greg Winkler, director of project development for Brevini Wind, said the lights began converting wind and sunlight into electricity to power the lights as soon as they were installed.
When fully charged, the two batteries inside each light can run five days without wind or sunlight, Winkler said.
“That’s part of the appeal,” he said. “In the dead of winter, there’s not much sun, but there’s still five days of battery life.”
Brevini Wind will have a “topping off” ceremony for its new building at Park One at 10 a.m. Tuesday.