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.
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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Many folks at ODOT are very forward thinking and sustainably minded, especially Alison Wiley. Her blog has a post about Oregon’s Solar Highway~ and countless others around the topics of global warming, transportation, living simply, and attaining happiness by focusing on what is most important in our lives.
Power the highway? What does that mean?
Sounds like “powering the highway” means powering the lights along the highway.
Oregon Launching First Solar Highway in the US | nerdd.net…
\r\nIn Oregon, road side solar panels will power the highway it sits next to. \r\nNext year, the Ore…
Well, it only says 28% of the highway? I think it’s great that they’re using solar energy to power core resources, but saying “First Solar Highway” makes it sound like 100% of the energy is solar.
With this argument, you could say that there have been many precedents, with highway call boxes long ago powered by photovoltaics. Isn’t that a “solar powered highway”?
Yeah how about a bulleted list of those items powered by the solar panels? Lights? OK, anything else? “112,000 kWh each year” is only enough power to provide “28% of the energy needed to power the project’s location” All the photo shows is a mountain view with no buildings and some telephone poles. Where’s the power going?
Would the turbines above freeways be able to collect more power than solar panels?
Whoops, wrong thread. Sorry.
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Sounds pretty lossy with the beam down energy dissipating with the square of the distance. Better to hang giant mirrors and do all of the transduction on the ground. Isn’t this just another source of global warming though?
“Power the highway? What does that mean?”
Power the lights in the highway at night. Unless they’ve found some kick ass way to shoot electricity through the asphalt to power the cars … if so I’m moving to Oregon
Why would PGE cooperate? Like all big corps they would sell their own mother to turn a buck. This means free electricity. There must be a catch. Waiting for the shoe to drop.