Finland recently unveiled plans to build the world’s first green highway — an 81-mile stretch of road that would feature charging stations for electric cars and pumps filled with local biofuels. Outfitted with energy-efficient lighting systems and geothermal heat pumps, the proposed carbon-neutral roadway handily out-greens Britain’s plans for a green service station.
The road would link the southeastern coastal town of Loviisa, which is lobbying for the green infrastructure, with Vaalimaa near the Russian border. Waste from the region would be used to produce biofuels and electricity for the service stations. The road would also feature smart lighting systems — lights would shut off if there were no cars and the brightness would adjust to weather conditions, which I imagine can get pretty nasty.
Although conventional gas stations would also be available, the long-term goal is to create a carbon-neutral roadway. The $900-million plan will only become a reality if the European Union provides support.
Via PhysOrg
It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still a petroleum-based asphalt road. The only “greener” road would be a Solar Roadway: http://www.solarroadways.com/vote.shtml
we should have more highways like this
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[...] Europe is truly embracing hydrogen refueling stations — first we saw Italy install solar-powered pumps, then Germany announced plans for a hydrogen fuel network that will be finished by 2015. The latest nation to jump on the bandwagon is the Netherlands, which recently unveiled the first public hydrogen fueling station in the country. The first pump is installed in Arnhem and it is reportedly one of the first stations to be installed along Europe’s Hydrogen Highway. [...]