Roadside clean energy

Posted on July 25, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized |

solar-aerial I recently toured a manufacturing facility where a product called a Power Cube was being built–fiberglass boxes with a rack of solar panels on top and batteries inside. During the day the panels produce electricity to run equipment and charge the batteries, at night the batteries take over. Some of the larger units have small diesel generators that kick in if additional power is called for

These units can be used to provide emergency power in remote locations (the Army has a big order in) but they are also being snapped up for use in urban areas when the power goes out–powering critical traffic signals, for example.

This is part of a trend of roadside clean energy installations. The NYT’s Green Inc blog reports this:

And then there’s the Green Roadway — the brainchild of Gene Fein, a former media executive, and Ed Merritt, a sculptor. Neither has any direct experience working in the energy field, but the two hold multiple patents for wind, solar and geothermal technologies that operate alongside and in conjunction with what might be called an alternative-energy roadway system.

(I’m not so sure Gein and Merrit should get all the credit–I wrote about a similar proposal by a Texan named Mark Obelhozer over two years ago.)

I continue to think highways are going to play a role in our clean energy future–whether it’s roadside energy project or using the median to bury new transmission lines, as has been proposed in my home state of Main.

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