Renewables on Main Street

Abstract

Photovoltaics (PV), a technology capable of generating electricity directly from sunlight, is commonly viewed as a rural technology that is best suited to supplying power for small villages and remote farms. Most people are surprised to learn that one of the fastest growing markets for PV is in urban areas. Energy generated by PV can be a powerful, cost-effective tool in the hands of municipal planners for lowpower, mobile applications when power from the local utility is neither available nor cost-effective to extend. It is quiet, reliable, safe, and environmentally benign. It blends unobtrusively into parks, bus stops, rail stations, and other urban landscapes or streetscapes. In many cases, it is the least expensive option.

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