READER’S EDITORIAL: SHADE OUR HIGHWAYS WITH SOLAR: SAVE OUR BACK COUNTRY!

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By Adrienne Niver, Lakeside

January 11, 2012--(San Diego’s East County)-- I keep reading about the industrial solar projects and keep thinking about how much better (greener) it would be if our state would put "a very tall roof" over many miles of our highways and freeways and then cover them with solar panels (tall enough for the absolute tallest vehicle that would ever go on the freeway.)

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 purpose. (from http://www.autointhenews.com)

That way the state owns the property, by covering these roads it would make the road surface last longer and stay dryer and safer for drivers, there would not be any right of way issues and so no property to buy, the freeways go close by areas that need the power and so there would be fewer "losses" as is the case in long distribution / transmission wires from the desserts, there are acres and acres (miles) of available freeways all over the state as well as around the country. It would create jobs to build and then some to continually maintain the panels as in washing them, etc.

Save the back country!!!  Install above the freeways!!!


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Comments

Brilliant idea!

And didn't our assistant editor, Mayan, do a fantastic job coming up with a cool fun-with-Photoshop graphic to envision what this might look like? 

For another futuristic idea, check out this prototype for a solar highway:http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/10124

I agree with you, finding creative ways to create energy in the already built envivornment is a far better idea than despoiilng rural, mountain, desert and wilderness areas such as we're seeing going on now; the "destroy the planet to save it" mentality is short-sighted and wrong.