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building a sustainable ‘highway of the future’ - solar panel traffic lights

by:Litel Technology     2019-08-21
building a sustainable ‘highway of the future’  -  solar panel traffic lights
By jenalwest POINT, Georgia. —
Just past the Alabama border, in a rural area of Georgia full of manufacturing plants and distribution warehouses, there is an 18-
Interstate 85 is a mile long, where new technologies are being tested for future green highways. The long-
The long-term goal is to build the world's first sustainable road that can create its own clean, renewable energy and revenue generation by selling electricity to utilities, there will be no rain runoff or other pollution or traffic deaths.
The project, named Ray, is an unusual collaboration between state agencies, private companies, and home foundations that pay for it.
At present, most of the operations are concentrated at West Point Visitor Center at exit 2, where there is the first solar road surface that can be used by the North American public, and then at the back, a drive-
Safety station through automatic tires.
"Pilots and experiments are being conducted across the United States. S.
But everything is fogged, it's just debris, "said Robert Puentes, president of Washington, D. C. C. -
Headquartered in the transportation center of the national think tank.
"It's all in one package in Georgia, and there's nothing better than what's happening below.
Some states, including Georgia, are using road sensors to monitor weather or improve traffic.
Transportation departments in a dozen states from Oregon to North Carolina are using renewable energy technologies on highway rights.
The Michigan rest area and the solar panels along the Massachusetts Highway are generating electricity and saving the states money.
Like light, some states are also trying to embed technology on the road.
In Colorado, a pilot project in the transportation sector will test the technology to transfer the stored energy from the road to driving an electric truck so that they can charge the battery while driving at full speed.
The California Department of Transport plans to test technology to embed photovoltaic cells into the road.
It will be installed on the exit and entrance ramp of the northern Los Angeles highway rest area2020.
California is also experimenting with kinetic energy.
In April, the California Energy Commission awarded a grant of more than $2 million to test the use of piezoelectric sensor technologies such as crystals that generate electricity from vehicles under pressure or vibration.
The wires on the road will be connected to a transformer that collects power that can be added to the grid and can also be used to power the lights and signs on the side of the road.
The more cars travel through sensors, the more power they generate.
Some experts are skeptical about laying wires on the road, saying it could cause maintenance problems.
But Mike Graves, the commission's senior electrical engineer, said he didn't think it would be a major issue and he thought the pilot project would be technically successful.
"The biggest question we are trying to answer is, will it generate electricity that is comparable to the price of solar or wind energy? ” Gravely said.
"If you can, it could be one of our renewable solutions in the future.
The potential is enormous.
"The dirty highway federal highway system was created in 1956 to help move people and goods from point A to Point B.
In addition to adding lanes and renewal signs, there is little change compared to the earlier ones, except that the highways are getting dirty because more exhaust gas from cars and trucks is polluting the air, more rainwater runoff is polluting rivers and streams.
The goal of the ray is to reshape the highway so that it can restore the ecosystem, generate new ecosystems, and provide the energy to move people and goods.
It was named after the late Ray C.
Anderson is a local industrialist who is the founder of the interface of the world's largest carpet tile manufacturer.
He is increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of his industry and asks his company to eliminate any negative environmental impact by 2020.
Therefore, it began to use a large number of recyclable or renewable materials, reducing the use of oil and reducing pollution.
Anderson of daughters very happy 2014 Georgia legislation institutions will I-
Their father passed away on 2011.
But they found his name on "dirty roads that pollute the environment," which is ironic, said his daughter Harriet Lanford.
So the daughter and family foundation, named after him, started a project to commemorate Anderson's environmental heritage.
The initial goal was to beautify, said Langford, the trustee of the Foundation and president of Ray, a non-profit organization it created.
But the foundation and interface require Georgia Tech to do research on memorial roads, and later label Ray as a blueprint for how to make it a national model of sustainable development and innovation.
"No one looks at the highway as a whole," said Lanford . ".
"We need to figure out how to make it a restorative highway.
"Ray also worked with the Ministry of Transport of Georgia, which agreed to work with staff and provide highway access rights and visitor centers with much easier traffic as test sites.
So far, the department has spent less than $10,000 on Ray's projects, except for some employee time, said John sibad, director of operations at the agency.
"This is a very neat project that encourages us to do something that we may not have tried," says hibard . ".
"DOTs can be a very tedious organization.
One of the most compelling technologies of the future
Capture technology on Ray is 20-foot-
Bright red steel "Sun Tree" in front of the visitor center ".
It connects 12 large photovoltaic panels, installed by Kia Automobile Manufacturing Company Georgia, which is a partner of the project and operates a large manufacturing plant on the road.
The tree provides free service for electric vehicles in about 25 minutes and supplies power to the grid when not in use.
In the middle of the parking lot is Wattway, a driving solar sidewalk developed by a French company, which was tested outside France for the first time.
The test strip is 52 feet long and made of thin and slippery
Glass-covered solar panels.
When it is not blocked by a car, it generates clean energy from the sun and enters the grid to help power the visitor center.
Ray's executive director, Allie Kelly, acknowledged the use of Wattway technology in French
Although she did not want to disclose the cost, the parts made were expensive.
If the project goes out of the pilot phase, light can use solar panels in the US or China, which is cheaper, she said.
Behind the visitor center is the first public wheel right tire safety station in the country, which looks like a McDonald's lane --thru.
The car runs slowly over Blackand-
The yellow stripe road surface measured by the sensor.
The driver will then stop at the touch screen kiosk, which will spit out the printed paper in 20 seconds, or send a text message showing the tire pressure and the depth of the tread.
Ray is renting the UK-
With Kia's help, make equipment for $39,000 a year.
Ray's spokeswoman, Anna Cullen, said nearly 1,200 drivers have used it since it was installed in December.
Insufficient tire inflation and excessive inflation can lead to slipping and air leakage, increasing the chances of crashes, injuries and deaths.
About 11,000 tires a year.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 200 people were killed in related accidents.
The light is also focused on restoring the environment along the highway.
It has invested $250,000 to beautify the median, grow wildflower meadows, and create a 7,500 with Kia employees, the Georgia Water Conservancy Association, a nonprofit, and the Chattahoochee Nature Centersquare-
Foot pollinator garden in visitor center.
The National Transportation Bureau has helped these projects.
Plan to exit 5-14-acre, 3,000-
The solar panel farm will provide energy for the grid and nearby businesses.
Ray, the Ministry of Transport, the Georgian Public Service Commission and the Georgian Electric Power Company are working on the project and taxpayers will pay for it.
In another Ray project, on the medians near exit 6, the Department of Transport planted 8 acres of native wildflowers and grass, creating a "bio-swamp ", drainage ditches that filter road pollution and improve water quality.
This project may not save taxes as contractors still need to trim along the side of the road, but the $8,000 that the state pays for sowing and installation can generate huge environmental benefits, chris DeGrace, landscape designer at the transportation bureau, said.
Ray plans to test other futuristic ideas.
One is that it is patented technology that will use solar road nails with sensors to collect data from the surface, such as whether ice is forming or deer is crossing ahead.
This information will be sent to the driver via flashing colored lights in the cloud or on the road.
Other ideas include sound barriers made from solar panels and wind turbines that can turn traffic into energy.
Kelly won't reveal Ray's budget, she said she doesn't know how much the foundation will end up spending on the openended project.
The IRS records show that the foundation spent $764,550 on the project in 2015.
Puentes of Eno said he had no doubt that the light would have a great impact.
"Once they figure out what works, it will have a chain reaction in the national transportation system.
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