Solar Powered Bus Stops As Power Centers?
As a follow-up to my post on Chicago’s Green Alley Program, I did some reading on rubber sidewalks they’re building. That led me to how they’re making their bus stops solar powered (we’re talking the three-sided ones, not the poles in the ground).
About 100 solar shelters will be installed next year by the company that has the contract for shelter advertising. The installation will save the city an estimated $20,000 in electricity costs every year, according to Heramb.
Imagine all Department of Public Works property throughout the city of Milwaukee being powered by a money-saving distributed network of solar panels on top of MCTS bus stops.
I would imagine Milwaukee could save a lot of money doing this and improving on an idea started by our friends to the south.
We’re more interested in the rubber sidewalks. Ck out the web site. Wonder if Milwaukee is considering rubber sdiewalks.
http://www.rubbersidewalks.com
Providing that the bus stops are connected to the power grid already, a solar panel would already generate and return electricity to the power grid… Likewise if you install a solar panel in your own home.
Chicago would be better off finding more efficient methods to power their train stations rather than bus terminals, however…