Solar Cells Could Turn Freeways Into Power Plants

Most people think of freeways as utilitarian structures, and nothing more. But for Swedish architect and urban strategist Mans Tham, freeways are majestic structures that could serve another important Acer aspire 4720 battery purpose.

In an effort to make freeways more attractive and functional, Tham would like to see Los Angeles’ famed highways covered in photovoltaic cells to power the very city the freeway bisects.

Aside from providing extra electricity to cities throughout the region, the proposal could “bring green-tech jobs for farming, harvesting and processing to the very neighborhoods that today are the most disadvantaged by their proximity to the freeway.”

Tham estimates that if the Santa Monica Freeway was covered with solar panels between downtown L.A.

and the coastline, Hp pavilion dv6000 battery it could provide 115 MW — enough electricity to power the needs of a city like Venice, California.

“The possibility of producing energy within the city is much better than ruining a desert for a solar farm and then losing energy on expensive transmission lines,” said Tham. “By letting infrastructure be a visually powerful part of the city, inside and out, its citizens are allowed to understand and cherish the complexity of their daily urban life.”

Tham’s aptly named “Solar Serpents in Paradise” plan also includes electric car charging stations under overpasses and adjacent algae ponds fed by the carbon dioxide-rich freeway air.

The build-up of algae can then be harvested for biofuel.

This is not the solution to Toshiba pa3594u-1bas battery solve all energy concerns in highly urbanized regions, admits Tham. But he believes his plan could make better use of existing land, and is one of many steps necessary towards smarter cities.