Johnny Depp plans to bring solar-hydrogen power to his personal Caribbean paradise

Read more about: Bahamas, Caribbean, celebrities, hydrogen power, MTV, solar energy

Back in 2004, acclaimed actor Johnny Depp purchased a private island in the Bahamas for around $3,000,000. The 35-acre paradise (which he has aplty named “F*ck Off Island”) became a home-away-from-home for the star, who opted to relocate from France. According to Depp, “It’s so beautiful there, so peaceful, free and relaxed. We want to spend a lot more time there in the future because it’s a completely different way of life. It’ll be our [French partner Vanessa Paradid and children Lily-Rose Melody, and Jack] home base, but we’ll still spend time in France and in the Sates, so our children will grow up in both cultures.”

Fast-forward to the present day, the “Sweeney Todd” star is aiming to bring some Earth-friendly elements to his island abode. He is contracting a grid-independent solar hydrogen system from Mike Strizki, the inventor of the the nation’s first solar-hydrogen house in New Jersey, to equip his 3,500 square-foot home. The cost is estimated to run the star between $250,000-$500,000.

Strizki’s system is built to utilize solar power while storing excess energy as hydrogen for use at night, or during cloudy days.

Much like his late friend Marlon Brando, Depp has been ever the “reluctant celebrity”, as well as no stranger to controversy. In 2003, Depp was quoted as criticizing the United States in Germany’s Stern magazine, commenting that “America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth — that can bite and hurt you, aggressive.” Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and the quotation was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview. CNN added his remark that he would like his children “to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out.”The July 17, 2006 edition of Newsweek reprinted the “dumb puppy” quotation, verbatim, within the context of a Letter to the Magazine. Depp has also disagreed with subsequent media reports that he says paint him as a “European wannabe” who enjoys the “simpler” life and anonymity that living in France provides.

Some of the awards that Depp has won include honors from the London Critics Circle (1996); Russian Guild of Film Critics (1998); Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004); and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. At the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, he won the award for “Favorite Villain” for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd.

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