A San Diego-based company is marketing solarized parking lots and solar trees as a way to provide shade and generate electricity.
"Solar Trees. Solar Groves. The value of shade in the future economy. Bio-mimicry. My little brain was racing to absorb all the solar heat coming through the phone. I spent nearly an hour talking with Robert Noble. Trained as an architect, he's now CEO of Envision Solar in LaJolla, among his several ventures. Envision's a spin-off from his architectural firm. Their first big project was to solarize a parking lot for Kyocera in San Diego. Appropriately Kyocera maunfactures solar components, and they wanted a showcase. They got it."
"One of Noble's points is that he sees solar from an architect's viewpoint. It can be both functional and beautiful. It can be part of the overall design and pay economic dividens to the building owner. And, he says, more and more corporations are coming to realize it is not their lobby that gives a first impression to visitors, it's the parking lot they must contend with first. One of Noble's associates says any company's image begins at the curb, not at the lobby door. A solar, shaded parking lot is a very different message than forty acres of asphalt under the noonday sun. A pretty point, I must admit."
FULL STORY: Envision a solar parking lot: cool, clean and green

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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