Why putting solar panels beside highways is a no-brainer [View all]

California could generate enough electricity to power 270,000 homes by putting solar panels in the empty land next to highway interchanges in just 3 Southern California counties, according to a new report released today by Environment California and The Ray.

There is a lot of “dead” space between highways, which is currently not used for much of anything. It’s not a usable space for wildlife, either, due to the proximity of so many cars.

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There is currently a bill working its way through California’s legislature, known as SB49, introduced by Senator Josh Becker, who represents San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Environment California has a page where Californians can contact their representatives and ask them to support the bill:
https://environmentamerica.org/california/take-action/tell-your-state-legislator-support-solar-along-highways-and-parking-lots/


This isn’t just a no-brainer for California (as even Caltrans acknowledges) but for other states as well. In 2021, the Federal Highway Administration suggested that states do this very thing, and the Biden administration considers it a “game-changer” for meeting net-zero goals.

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The Ray has a tool for mapping similar beside-highway solar opportunities across the country: https://theray.org/technology/solar/ Some states have already started putting solar panels beside highways, with installations existing in Georgia, Oregon, Maine, and others.

This is just one of the areas in which Environment California has advocated for solar panels. Another analysis shows that 5 million homes could be powered by putting solar on the roofs of warehouses in the state (and surely the warehouses themselves as well), https://environmentamerica.org/california/media-center/new-report-rooftop-solar-on-californias-warehouses-could-power-nearly-5-million-households/ allowing us to turn unproductive flat roofspace into a useful energy generation opportunity without having to clear additional land for solar farms. Add in parking lots and superstores, and you could make a pretty big dent in emissions from electricity generation without a whole lot of effort.

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By: Jameson Dow | Aug 31 2023 - 1:22 pm PT
Full Article: https://electrek.co/2023/08/31/why-putting-solar-panels-beside-highways-is-a-no-brainer/#more-320093