I just came across this word from the Style Park team ... and liked! : stylepark Dear user, The future is one of those things. Even if the one or other of us might like to catch a glimpse of what is heading our way, it still remains in the dark. And a good thing too. Of course and probably precisely for that reason we still think about what we imagine our own future and that of our children should look like and how we can help shape it. After all, something is constantly changing and ‘conditions’ don’t improve of their own volition. On the contrary. Not only the regular movie-goers among you will more often than not worry that we are on the cusp of some impending global disaster or other. At any rate, on our path into tomorrow different interests are forever colliding, obstacles popping up and blockades getting in the way. One of the hurdles we ourselves erect is that our imagination is to a large degree defined by what gets called history, the status quo or simply habit. How nice that there are nevertheless always people who manage to see the world as it is through different eyes. We’ve just come across an article about an American couple who have been thinking about the roads of the future. When we hear the word roads we tend to think of decks made of asphalt or concrete, maybe cobbles or gravel. Need that be the case? Well Julie and Scott Brusaw asked themselves the same question and came up with a completely different solution: roads made of solar cells. To the extent that such streets could function and be affordable, they could provide power for our e-cars or homes, save oil, prevent accidents and even melt the snow that falls on them in winter. Auto transport would become cleaner and safer overnight. And because LEDs would be inserted into the modules, the lane would point us in the right direction at night, too. An idea that sounds compelling. Julie and Scott Brusaw, or so we read, are aware that their vision won’t become reality at the drop of a hat. “Half the people think we’re amazing, the other half believe we’re crazy,” Scott Brusaw is quoted as saying. All the same, the visionaries have started a pilot project in their home town of Sandpoint in Idaho with funding of 750,000 bucks: a car park coated with solar modules. The Brusaws have developed a very tough coarse glass to ensure the new surface delivers as much grip as asphalt: “One of the key development criteria for the uppermost layer of the panels was that they provide as much grip as a normal asphalt road, even when it’s raining.” The panels have three layers: a glass layer (with the solar modules, LEDs and heating), a layer containing the electronics, and a third that connects to the grid. The sides of the modules also feature channels into which water off-flow can be directed, and filtered. It certainly sounds exciting. And it would certainly be great if the roads of tomorrow produced power and were to point us in the right direction. Sure, it’ll be a little while yet before the 230,000 kilometers or so of roads in Germany have been converted. But the example shows that even if the future’s in the dark, it’s already started. And who knows, perhaps soon at least a few car parks and side streets will light up and show us what paths lead to the future. Wishing you as always a lot of fun browsing, reading and thinking. Your Stylepark Team
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:35:37 +0000
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