Oregon has broken ground on the first “Solar Highway” demonstration project. Being installed on Interstate 4 and Interstate 205 interchange in Tualatin, the 8000 square foot solar highway is will consist of a 104 kW solar photovoltaic system slated to product 112,000 kilowatt hours per year. According to CleanTechnica the array will supply 28% of the energy needs where the project is located. The system consisted of solar panels installed along the highway and produce electricity during the day sending the power to the electric grid and at night drawing the power from the grid to power lighting on the highway. The entire solar photovoltaic system cost $1.3 million, and should be completed and operational in December of this year. If all goes well Oregon DOT plans more highway projects with a goal to generate 2 million kWh every year.More Here
