Technocrat

Solar highways pave way to cleaner energy

President4242
Tue Sep 18 13:46:42 -0700 2007
Politics.
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No, it’s not something from the galactic future. It’s here and now — and could be in Oregon within a year.
The following story was taken from Oregon Department of Transportation's internal newsletter, Inside ODOT, and is reproduced here with full permission from the authors.
Governor Kulongoski and the 2007 Oregon Legislature took several giant leaps toward making Oregon a leader in reducing greenhouse gases by passing the “Renewable Energy Package.” Some 25 energy-related bills were signed into law, including the Renewable Portfolio Standard. The RPS says that Oregon must supply 25 percent of its electricity needs from new renewable sources by 2025. Interim targets include meeting five percent by 2011; 15 percent by 2015; and 20 percent by 2020. Governor Kulongoski further directed Oregon government to become 100 percent powered by renewable resources.
 
These directives are especially important to ODOT, since in the course of fulfilling its mission, the department contributes significantly to the state’s greenhouse emissions. But there are many things we can do at ODOT in less carbon-intensive ways — while still accomplishing our goals. One possibility being considered: solar panels located on suitably situated highway rights of way.
 
“This could be a perfect way to take something we own (right of way) and realize multiple value out of it,” said Allison Hamilton, project director with the Office of Innovative Partnerships. “It’s also a great opportunity to help us reduce our carbon footprint.”
 
Tried and true in Europe
Transportation structures and rights-of-way, including shoulders, barriers, sound and retaining walls, abutments, pole mounts and even safety rest areas, have been used successfully for almost 20 years in Germany, Switzerland and other countries to provide space for solar panels. But this model has not been tested widely in the United States. ODOT is embarking on a project to test the viability of this approach, through one or more demonstration projects that will include the design, installation, operation and maintenance of roadside solar installations.
 
The potential is great
To meet the Governor’s goal of 100 percent renewable energy for state-owned facilities, state government needs to produce approximately 30 to 60 Megawatts. If solar energy was used to meet 20 percent of this goal — and half of that solar need was met by roadside solar panels — about 100 miles of roadway would be needed. ODOT currently maintains about 16,000 miles of shoulder right of way, so it’s easy to see the potential. The challenge is to find the best locations, design the most proficient system, develop the most cost effective financing structure, plan the most efficient maintenance and operations program, and then, flip the switch — on clean, renewable, secure energy.
 
A smart move to cleaner energy
In addition to meeting the Governor’s objectives, ODOT’s efforts comply with findings and recommendations from the 2006 Oregon Transportation Plan. Strategies under Policy 4.2 on Energy Supply include supporting efforts to move toward a diversified and cleaner energy supply and working with partners to develop a contingency plan for fuel shortages affecting passenger and freight transportation.
 
Next steps
ODOT has posted a “Request for Information” to the industry seeking innovative information from private or public interested parties for the design, development and implementation of a project or projects to test options for the generation of clean, renewable energy through installation of solar photovoltaic panels on ODOT-owned property, including highway and freeway rights-of-way.
ODOT is also seeking your input. Do you have ideas about how solar panels on ODOT properties might, or might not, work? What about potential vandalism — how could we reduce that risk? Do you have some specialized knowledge that might help in defining, creating and implementing this new initiative?
“Tying together highway right of way and solar panels is unique, brand new in the states,” said Hamilton. “We’d love to hear from anyone with any insights.” Contact Hamilton at (503) 986-3732 or allison.m.hamilton@odot.state.or.us.
 
PULLOUT
A photovoltaic system mounted on the highway right of way in Switzerland has been delivering 1000 kWh (kilowatt-hour) per year of clean renewable energy to the local grid since 1989.
 
ODOT is proposing a similar demonstration project, and with expert solar advice provided by the Oregon Department of Energy, concept projects have initially been identified as:

o          a rack-mounted sound wall retrofit (I-205);
o          a pole-mounted array powering luminaries at a freeway interchange (Portland);
o          A motor carrier port-of-entry facility;
o          potentially, a pole-mounted array powering a traffic signal (Prineville); and
o          potentially, a pole-mounted array powering lights in a tunnel (TBD).
 
Two operational models will be investigated:

1.      ODOT will purchase, own, operate and maintain the system, receive the green points, and serve its own energy needs; or
2.      ODOT is the host, providing the right of way or barrier infrastructure to a private party, who will purchase, own, operate and maintain the system and get the tax benefits and green points. ODOT will receive power at a guaranteed rate for a contracted number of years; excess power would be sold to the grid by the private party.
 
We may also investigate a combination of these models or any other innovative financing/operating structure that shows potential. In any case, energy generated would count towards meeting the state’s new renewable energy portfolio standard (25 percent by 2025). 
 
Solar highways pave way to cleaner energy
Uncle Entity
Tue Sep 18 14:39:03 -0700 2007
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ODOT is also seeking your input. Do you have ideas about how solar panels on ODOT properties might, or might not, work? What about potential vandalism — how could we reduce that risk?

I would suggest putting them on the roofs of all the ODOT owned rental houses, buildings and fenced in yards scattered about instead of installing them along side the highway. Oregon is a pretty state and getting the panels high enough to discourage theft and vandalism would detract from the natural beauty and block the view of people driving down the road.

Oh, and don't think Lady Bird's ghost won't come gunnin' for y'all...
Solar highways pave way to cleaner energy
President4242
Tue Sep 18 14:50:04 -0700 2007
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I haven't suggested that yet- I was surprised they left that in the edited version.  However, I've got a meeting with Ms. Hamilton-  I might suggest that.  Certainly we have plenty of very large maintenance sheds that are just sitting around locked up in yards all over the state, mostly out of sight behind large trees- if these were all roofed with solar panels, I could see it being a HUGE benefit.

As for Lady Bird's ghost- perhaps, though I wish I could have posted the Sweedish photo that they included with the Inside ODOT newsletter- the angled solar panels actually looked quite a bit better than the battleship grey metal guard rails we have in certain places in the Gorge....and provide just about the same physical protection (despite being infinitely more fragile, 8' of glass and tin will stop a semi just as well as .22" steel....)
Solar highways pave way to cleaner energy
peacefinder
Tue Sep 18 15:46:11 -0700 2007
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Yeah, I think the big objection here will be the aesthetics of the things. There's going to be a lot of people who would see these things as being just as annoying as billboards, and I gotta admit that they have a point.

There's also the per-mile electrical infrastructure that you'll have to deal with installing and protecting. Anywhere that currently has street lighting will presumably have some usable wiring, but on the long stretches of lonely rural roads it's going to be a different ballgame.

The demo proposals seem to be well-chosen to avoid those pitfalls, though. Good luck!
Solar highways pave way to cleaner energy
phred14
Tue Sep 18 18:32:30 -0700 2007
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As a resident of Vermont, one of the few states with a stiff billboard law, I have to agree with you.  (Mark that one down.)

I'd like to see a lot more done with "green roofs", solar panels, and the like on top of buildings.  A few days back, there was an article posted about low-cost solar panels being within a year or 2 of mass production.  Maybe we're getting close.
Solar highways pave way to cleaner energy
peacefinder
Tue Sep 18 15:30:48 -0700 2007
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Time will tell if it's actually practical, but it's not a bad idea in principle.

What I think would be a cool and maybe profitable venture is a turnkey solar installation for parking lots.

Imagine a standardized set of solar awnings that could be bolted on to existing light-pole mountings* and wired in to their electrical supply. With a few mods in the client's electrical system, they could provide shade in the day while also converting solar energy back into the grid, they could include grid-powered lighting for the evenings, and they could also provide some incidental rain shielding for customers as a side benefit. There's a zillion parking lots out there in the US that do nothing other than hold cars, and this could let them each produce a modest amount of daytime electricity.

[*: The mechanical engineering for such a gadget would not be exactly trivial, because they'd have to withstand a lot more weather forces than a light pole on the same mount, they'd need to be configurable for different row alignments and latitudes, and they'd need to support cheap mass production. But that's the ideal to shoot for if it's possible.]

Pick your panels wisely

zogger
Tue Sep 18 15:41:41 -0700 2007
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One of the reasons I prefer Unisolars, they can take a bullet and keep working. I know this from my solar dealer friend, one of his installs took some high speed vandalism and it still works!

With that said, I think it would be neat if these hot tarred parking lots for supermarkets and malls, etc had roofs that were solar panels. No walking to the store in the rain, no baked out cars, free juice (eventually) for the stores. And maybe someday plugins will be common wherever you park, perhaps with a simple coin meter, making electrical cars or plug in hybrid cars more practical.

Pick your panels wisely
mcrbids
Wed Sep 19 01:14:48 -0700 2007
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From the air, it is utterly amazing how much of the surface of the average city is either rooftop or freeway. Why not put this otherwise wasted space to use? The link shows Ontario, California from the air. Go ahead, and look around. How much of this space in beautiful, sunny California is either rooftop, parking log, or road? Based on what I see, it's probably something like 75%.

All of this wasted space could support solar panels and even if they did not produce energy, they would *still* save money in air conditioning costs. Simply amazing!

yep

zogger
Wed Sep 19 21:14:26 -0700 2007
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I've had that opinion for years. The sheer square mileage of already built roofs sitting out in the hot sun doing nothing more than acting as expensive heat sinks that you pay to have rot away and to remove excess heat from half the year is amazing. Total energy wastage.

It's like all the fission power gets the press, when we have practical fusion power just sitting there for the taking, but then they claim we need 50 years to develop "fusion power" with multi billion dollar lab experiments. Nuts. Fusion source is right outside. Just amazing, we should use it, ramp up economies of scale tenfold and just "do it". I think it went over the top this year though, mindshare-wise, you can smell it, people are just fed up with high energy costs and even the dullest is smelling a rat with all the huge profits the conventional energy guys rake in all the time, and their FUD about how anything else won't work. Some of them anyway, a few of the big companies have morphed into energy companies instead of just oil companies. And also with dee-troit and fuel efficient or alternatively driven autos. They are playing catch up there as well, maybe that will save those companies but I am not convinced yet. I am most disappointed in that, actually, because I know it could have been done years ago, they just didn't want to.

 

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