If a fully clothed Frank Palmer jumps at the chance to unveil a new OOH technology, you know it’s got to be good.

Victoria-based transit ad specialist Carmanah Technologies recently launched new solar-powered illuminated ad panels, with the DDB CEO on hand to tout benefits and represent the ad industry’s support for an eco-friendly alternative, although he has no economic stake in the project.

Carmanah CEO Art Aylesworth describes iPanel as ‘light-box technology that offers grid independence with uncompromised brightness, light uniformity, image clarity

and reliability.’ Only in bus shelters, the solar-powered units will start rolling out in October. Currently, less than 30% of bus shelters in North America feature illuminated ad space. A big barrier is access to power sources, which is obviously not a problem in iPanel’s case.

And, of course, iPanel’s biggest selling point is that it’s eco-friendly. ‘The

solar-powered iPanel eliminates approximately 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually,’ explains Aylesworth. www.transitlights.com