The Highway: Green Power Godsend?
Now highways and cars are not something that would usually make you think green, but a brilliant new green energy system might change your mind.
The system, developed by Scott Brusaw, turns the land used by highways and roads into a massive solar farm.
In fact, roads are long strips of land that are constantly exposed to the elements and make up a significant piece of land. Because of the high visual impact of solar farms, he thinks that converting the roads to a strip-like solar farm can be a good solution.
The system utilizes three layers to create power. The top and bottom layers serve as protection for the middle layer, which contains all the necessary electronics, including solar cells.
Brusaw thinks that if the US Interstate Highway system was replaced with his system, with an solar cell efficiency of 10 percent, it could power the whole country.
An additional benefit to this middle electronics layer is LEDs that serve as lane markers. This allows for easy reconfiguration of lanes, construction zones, etc.
They are saying a prototype streching from Sandpoint to Coeur d’Alene will be ready in 5 years. If all goes well we could be seeing the highway of the future!
via AutoblogGreen
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