Image via WikipediaBy Sanford NaxI spend a lot of time on the road visiting family and my daughter, a student in Oregon. I often wonder if all those flat surfaces I see on my trips could be put to more productive use.
Could all those carports, bus shelters, miles of roadways and sidewalks and acres of wasted space atop warehouses and distribution centers do double duty, perhaps generating power as they bake in the summer sun?
As it turns out, I'm not alone in my thinking. More warehouses are getting solar panels. Recently, California State University, Fresno, and Fresno Yosemite International Airport installed solar panels on parking structures and carports.
Now, the city of Corona has a solar project on a bus shelter that is a mini power generator. According to CleanTechnia.com, the meter will run backward on sunny days, helping offset the city's energy costs. That's a model that can be followed elsewhere because bus shelters are everywhere.
There also is talk of solar-powered roadways. Jerry Brown, who wants a do-over as California governor, has them in his green-jobs plan, and the concept has been touted elsewhere. Scientific American recently did a long story on the prospect of solar roads.
Whether we ever drive on roads that help pay for themselves remains to be seen. After all, government budgets are in disarray and none of this is cheap. But wouldn't it be cool? I could drive my electric car on a solar road, generating power and helping the environment in one of the foulest air-quality regions in the nation.
Sanford Nax, project coordinator, San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization
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