hippy != hippie != Deepak

Hippy is an adjective to be used when someone has large hips.

Deepak isn't a hippie (nor is he particularly hippy).

Other than that, WTF was MS thinking?

defeats the object? no...

"Ricoh’s sign will also be aided by 16 300W floodlights, which sort of defeats the object, doesn’t it?"

No, the object is to power those floodlights with solar/wind. The sign itself is passive.