A trio of technology leaders in Europe — the Austrian Institute of Technology, Fraunhofer ISE in Germany, and Forster Industrietechnik in Switzerland — is working to develop a solar canopy system for highways in order to tap into the vast, under-utilized road network for clean electricity generation.
Originally published on Gas2. A section of Route 66 in Missouri will soon be covered in solar panels from Idaho startup, Solar Roadways. “It gets Missouri and MDOT prepared for 21st century innovations,” says Tom Blair, who heads the Road to Tomorrow initiative. “We expect them to be in place, I’m … [continued]
Practical ideas is the key way of describing Designed For the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for A Sustainable World. Edited by Jared Green, this simple yet intriguing book offers good solutions from top world sustainability experts in building a greener future for everyone. There are many ideas which will catch … [continued]
Roadway renewable energy enthusiasts might be interested in seeing some of these demonstrations, referred to by the Federal Highway Administration as “Alternate Uses of Highway Right-of-Way (ROW).” Although some may believe renewable energy test are a new thing, rest assured, they are not at all, writes the Federal Highway Administration … [continued]
Here’s some more solar energy news from around the interwebs: Michigan State University researchers have made some progress on transparent solar cells, a technology we’ve been covering for years but is yet to make it out of the lab. Michigan State’s transparent solar cells aren’t going to be commercialized anytime … [continued]
Solar roads have been a dream of countless cleantech lovers for awhile now. And there’s actually a company with the name Solar Roadways. We’ve written about the potential of solar roads and solar bike lanes a number of times over the years, but there’s news out now that Solar Roadways has received a $750,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration to build a parking lot in Idaho paved with solar panels, the most practical application of the idea I’ve heard of in the U.S.
One of the great things about photovoltaics is that all they need is an unobstructed piece of ground, and some basic maintenance, and they pump out electricity all day long. But finding a piece of ground that can be devoted solely to solar collectors can be a challenge, especially in the populated areas that need the power the most, so you will often find solar panels perched atop some structure, where they are exposed to higher winds, and are more difficult to maintain. But the solution to this problem might be on your way to work every day; in the unused spaces that surround our national grid of highways.
