This short bike path could power a home for a year
The world鈥檚 greenest bike path is paving the way to turn roads and sidewalks into generators of carbon-free electricity.
In six months, in a village near Amsterdam has generated enough electricity to power a home for a year.
The company that built the solar-powered bike path, SolaRoad, said the project is producing more power than predicted, generating聽 some 3,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
"We did not expect a yield as high as this so quickly,鈥� SolaRoad spokesperson Sten de Wit said in a statement. 鈥淭ranslate this to an annual yield, we expect more than the 70 kWh per square meter per year, which we predicted as an upper limit in the laboratory stage. We can therefore conclude that it was a successful first half year.鈥�
The pilot bike path was launched in November as an out-of-the-box idea on how to utilize the world鈥檚 infrastructure for power generation. The bike path includes solar cells embedded in concrete and covered by a thick layer of transparent, skid-resistant tempered glass that鈥檚 safe for bikes, people, and even vehicles.
If miles of bike paths, roads, and city infrastructure were covered with , the .
More than 150,000 bicycles have ridden over the solar-paneled stretch so far, all part of the testing phase of the three-year, $3.5 million pilot project.
The biggest issue to date has been the panels鈥� response to fluctuating temperatures. In early winter and early spring, the glass coating shrunk on some panels, causing them to peel at the corners. Repairs have already been made, and engineers are planning to develop a sturdier top layer to solve the problem.
SolaRoad鈥檚 next project could be in the United States, thanks to a recent partnership between the California Energy Commission and the province of Noord-Holland, which helped fund SolaRoad.
聽鈥淚 think the idea is to gather information, from what they鈥檙e doing over at SolaRoad,鈥� said Linda Rapattoni, spokesperson for the California Energy Commission. 鈥淲e are checking out what they鈥檙e doing overseas, and waiting for the data to come in, and then we鈥檒l go from there.鈥�
A similar project called is under way in the U.S., using solar panels invented by two Idaho natives that can be used for roads, driveways, parking lots, bike trails, and even highways.
In April 2014, engineers Scott and Julie Brusaw started an that raised $2.2 million in funds to test the system. Their prototype roadway solar panels , according to the Solar Roadways campaign page.
Now, they鈥檙e testing their panels on a driveway in Idaho, and have potential pilot projects lined up at train station platforms, city sidewalks, and animal shelter parking lots.聽
鈥� Taylor Hill is TakePart's associate environment and wildlife editor.
鈥� at , a leading source of socially relevant news, features, opinion, entertainment, and information 鈥� all focused on the issues that shape our lives. Visit .
