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Solar-powered parking kiosks don’t get sufficient sun in Massachusetts city

February 13, 2017

Several solar-powered parking kiosks in the Haverhill, Massachusetts' downtown do not generate adequate sunlight to function, and one city councilor is hoping they can be fixed by the spring, according to The Eagle Tribune.

Councilor Mary Ellen Daly O'Brien said of the 41 downtown kiosks, eight have trouble attracting sunlight due to their locations on Washington, Essex and Wingate Streets.

She said the city's parking company, LAZ Parking, has replaced six batteries in three of the poorly functioning kiosks, and added the eight kiosks will have to be wired to a direct electrical current to compensate for the lack of sunlight the meters receive.

Each kiosk requires two batteries; one to assist in generating solar power and another to power the meter's functions, Daly O'Brien said.

"The reason they've only replaced six batteries is because they want to make sure the battery they're using to replace is going to function," Daly O'Brien said. She added the kiosk repairs should be completed in 30 to 60 days. "They don't want to buy 41 batteries times two, and not have the batteries function."

Since the paid parking program was implemented in 2012, concerns over the program's returns have called into question the kiosks' legitimacy.