Netherlands Solar Bike Paths

Let’s All Go Live There!

Seriously guys. Why aren’t we living in the Netherlands? First, I posted that video that shows “rush hour” in the Netherlands as mostly people on bikes. And now this: the Netherlands is opening a “solar bike path.” It’s a bike path made of solar panels, and is expected to provide enough electricity for three homes. The panels make up a section of the bike path — not the entire thing. But it’s part of a grander plan to turn roadways into harnesses for solar energy. That is so, so rad.

What’s even more rad? There’s a possibility of something similar happening here in the United States. A couple in Idaho raised money via Indiegogo to create solar panel roads. CNN reported:

[T]hey joined forces with researchers to develop a super-strong textured glass that would offer cars the traction they require. Then, they fitted LEDs road markers to avoid destroying the cells by painting highway lines over them and heating to warm the surface and keep the system working.

Wouldn’t it be great if all of our pocked, decaying asphalt highways could be replaced with panels like these? The hope is that solar roadways like these could help power electric cars — we could not only reduce emissions by turning roadways into harvesters of solar power, but by making electric cars more feasible.

That’s so cool. Is that Indiegogo campaign still going? Can I donate? Can I give them extra money? Can I form a political action committee to generate funds to send them to Washington? If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it. I’m just really excited that something like this is happening stateside. It gives me a glimmer of hope. It will be a long, long time before we ever see solar paneled roads in Florida. but the fact that we’ve got engineers in the U.S. who are working on it means we might see it, some day.

In the meantime, I think I’m going to go live over there…