Oregon Launching First Solar Highway in the US
Oregon is once again taking the lead with renewable energy by installing the country’s first highway solar energy project. The project will consist of a 104 kW solar photovoltaic system that covers 8,000 square feet and produces 112,000 kWh each year. That’s 28% of the energy needed to power the project’s location, the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 interchange in Tualatin.
Electricity for the interchange will be provided by PGE. The solar panels will come into play by producing electricity during the day, giving the power to the PGE grid, and getting the equivalent amount of power back at night from PGE to power lighting on the highway.
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The whole project will literally be Oregon-powered, as companies based in-state will provide materials, design, and installation.
Next year, the Oregon Department of Transportation plans to look at more highway project proposals. Eventually, the department would like to generate 2 million kWh every year with the new projects. They also are looking for proposals that showcase new ways to utilize solar energy, such as solar panels that double as sound walls near highways.
So if you happen to have any good ideas, get in touch with ODOT— they’re clearly open to progress.
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Two questions:
1. How much will this cost to install and maintain versus the current cost of electricity?
2. Does Oregon even have sunlight?
cover those center dividers with thin cell sheets. every 50 miles have a power station.
Ariel Schwartz, this article would be much better if it was written for people who don’t know about this project, rather than those who do. We have to make assumptions as to what “powering the project’s location” means, explaining acronyms - PGE - and anwering the other questions already listed in this blog. It is also unclear what this system does during the day and night in working with PGE. It would also be helpful to know if all that is going into this project really is efficient generation of electricity. Good start at presenting an interesting idea. Thanks anyway!
You just have to have doubts when any corporations are involved, have they ever done anything free for the common man? It will be a slow process to change this country to think green, as long as we continue to fight the big companies maybe we’ll get to where we should have been years ago. How to charge people for something they get for free is where they’re problem exsists.
AH yes, I have been running a blog on the solar highway as a way to promote interest in it. Check it out if you don’t know much about it.
http://www.pixnorth.com/dump1/blogs/solarhighway/blog.php
The Solar Highway is a boondoggle that will costs taxpayers millions, provide a nominal amount of electricity and take over 100 years to provide a return on the tax payers investment.
Why won’t the media report the facts?