Solar Trees
Today in reading slashdot, I followed the link to an article on solar trees. I got to thinking after reading this quote:
“The solar cells on the tree were able to store enough electricity in spite of receiving no direct solar light for days at a time because of the clouds. They showed that solar trees really are a practical form of street lighting,” Christina Werner from Cultural Project Management (Kulturelles Projektmanagement, Vienna) told RenewableEnergyAccess.com.
that it would a great idea if cities in the United States followed up on this method of lighting the streets. The solar trees at least from this picture are graceful and actually more pleasing to look at then the usual light posts. In the long run it could reduce the cost of having the night streets lit for safety. Electricity costs a lot. It uses fuel that is rapidly getting difficult to find and it seems to me that while most of Europe and Asia are looking for alternative energy sources, we’re lagging behind. It seems that we often spend more time trying to be minimally more efficient using the same technology rather than lifting our heads and thinking outside the box.
Besides, I like the idea of solar trees — though I have to admit that my first thought was not quite a match for the actual structure shown. Guess I read too much science fiction.