The performance of the world's first solar bike path in the Netherlands have so far exceeded expectations in its first six months of operation. Now the question becomes: What next?
Ashkat Rathi reports on the early results of SolaRoad test project, which has been operating a 230-foot solar-powered bike path since November 2014. According to Rathi, the first six months of the path's use has produced positive results. "In fact, the road has been generating slightly more energy than SolaRoad predicted at its lab." In total—the short path creates "enough electricity for one or two households."
The article includes more details on the technology of the path itself, as well as the unique business consortium that has created the world's first solar road surface.
Read the full story: The day when roads will harness solar energy is drawing near
France Opened the First Solar Roadway Built For Cars
A bike path in the Netherlands has been generating solar power since 2014, but the first example of a solar roadway built for cars opened this week in France.
A Skeptical Take on the World's First Solar Bike Path
Big news out of the Netherlands this week: a Dutch company has installed the world's first solar-powered bike path. But are the system's inefficiencies worth its costs?
Courts order EPA to release billions in climate grants
The grants primarily funded projects aimed at Black, low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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