Here’s an interesting idea – line our roads and parking lots with solar panels! According to this article,  each 12-by-12-foot Solar Roadway panel would produce about 7,600 watt-hours a day, based on an average of four hours of sunlight. At that rate, a one-mile stretch of four-lane highway could power about 500 homes. A neat idea! This could be used in conjunction with Solar Trees (which I like even better for parking lots as it also provides shade for vehicles). The world sure is full of smart people coming up with great ideas! The future holds lots of promise. Read the article:

Environmental Visionaries: The Solar Roadrunner

By John Bradley, PopSci.com

The road ahead is paved with photovoltaics. That’s how Scott Brusaw sees it, anyway. His company, Solar Roadways, is embedding PV cells and LED lights into panels engineered to withstand the forces of traffic. The lights would allow for “smart” roadways and parking lots with changeable signage, while the cells would generate enough energy to power businesses, cities and, eventually, the entire country. Each 12-by-12-foot Solar Roadway panel would produce about 7,600 watt-hours a day, based on an average of four hours of sunlight. At that rate, a one-mile stretch of four-lane highway could power about 500 homes. Read the full article at: PopSci.com