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Thu 12/30/2000
Catania-Syracuse 19 mi Solar Powered Highway First Ever to be Built 

A renewable highway isn't a new concept - but filling the road with photo voltaic panels - and is the first to be built. 

Slight correction :The article misstates the road as being on the WEST Coast of Sicily, Actually it is on the EAST Coast. 


Italians Race on Solar Powered Highway
The 19 mile highway runs through Catania & Syracuse took $81 million to build and generates about 9600 kwh a year
Energy Digital; By: Meaghan Clark; Mon Dec 27, 2010 
 

Italy is known for its pasta, its wine, and now, for its renewable highway. The country has become the first to finish construction on a  solar powered highway  making traffic, motos and travel look greener than ever. On the west coast of Sicily, the Italian government had begun construction plans in November for the 19 mile highway that will run from Catania and Syracuse, with completion announced late in the year.

A renewable highway isn?t a completely new concept - but filling the road with photovoltaic panels is. Several years ago, an Archinect design student took his schooling to a real life proposal when he developed the concept for a wind farm above the freeway. The highway wind turbine would reportedly generate enough electricity from fast moving cars to generate 9600kwh a year.

Taking an estimated $81 million to create, its photovoltaic solar panels will generate enough electricity to power the highway systems " from its fans to tunnel lighting, emergency phones and more " about 12 million kilowatts of solar power a year.

So Italy?s revolutionary environmentally friendly highway isn?t the first idea, but it?s the first to be built. Hailed the ?A18 Catania-Siracusa?, Italy has installed something like 80,000 photovoltaic panels on the road, installed by Pizzarotti & Co. The project will eventually save about 10,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year.

http://www.energydigital.com/tags/a18-catania-
siracusa/italians-race-solar-powered-highway
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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