Solar Forests: The Future of Electric Cars: Solar Articles: Eco20/20

Solar Forests: The Future of Electric Cars

Electric cars are a wonderful, eco-friendly alternative to traditional combustion engine vehicles. Many drivers have already made the switch to electric automobiles and many more of us would love to but can't because there is such limited availability of charging stations. A driving range of 100 miles isn't enough for the daily commute of many Americans, especially in rural areas. A day of shopping could be even more disastrous if you couldn't charge your car until you returned home. Thanks to industrial designer Neville Mars, we may soon have a way to enjoy electric cars regardless of our daily mileage. His concept for solar forests is one that is sure to revolutionize electric car travel forever.

Solar forests, also called solar groves or solar carports, involve solar trees made of photovoltaic leaves mounted on a pole. The base of these trees has outlets available for charging electric cars while they are parked. Mr. Mars got inspiration for his idea from the way sunflowers turn their faces into the sunlight. As the angle of the sun changes during the day, the "leaves" of the solar trees move with it, maximizing solar energy capture. Not only do these solar forests provide a convenient way to charge electric vehicles, they also provide shaded parking lots for these same cars, keeping the car cool while not in use and reducing the need for extra energy to cool the interior.

Many companies are embracing the idea of solar forests or carports. General Motors has teamed up with Envision Solar to install this technology at every GM dealership. Some of these installations will be solar forests and some will be solar carports, each providing 6 parking spaces. GM Plans to evaluate both types of structures to see which is most efficient. Dell is also installing solar carports at their headquarters in Texas. The finished parking lot will cover 50 parking spaces and provide two electric vehicle-charging stations.

In Japan, Nissan has an idea to take this idea further than the parking lot. Their ambitious plan is to install a 1,000 tree solar forest. Each tree of this installation will be approximately 40 feet tall and will have three solar panel leaves. Nissan's goal is for this solar forest to power 7,000 homes in Japan's new zero-emissions city by the year 2030. If successful, solar forests will likely be used as a major power source for many other cities worldwide in coming years.

Solar forests are possibly one of the most unique, useful ideas affect green energy on a large scale. Already proven to work, they could be used in thousands of industrial zones, residential areas, and parking lots. And with the beautiful simplicity of their design, solar forests provide a way for us to generate renewable, clean energy without harming the visual beauty of our surroundings.

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