Commercial and Governmental efforts in solar energy have focused on large solar fields. The usage of large tracts of land to build tomorrow’s sustainable energy sources. Private home use has focused on placing panels on the roof of homes. But, perhaps one of the most innovative approaches to solar panel placement was unveiled by Public Service Energy Group (PSEG) of New Jersey. PSEG is the main power supplier to the State of New Jersey. This past week they announced a plan to place solar panels on every utility pole they operate in the State. According to PSEG this will be the largest utility pole placement of solar panels in the world. The placement of solar panels on all of these utility poles will double the solar output that the State currently produces. The panels themselves are being called smart panels due to PSEG ability to regulate the panels remotely. This increase will make New Jersey the second largest solar producer in the country after the State of California. Not bad for one of the smallest geographically sized States in the Union. This will place sustainable solar power in every town according to PSEG. The projected output of energy from these utility poles is going to be 80 megawatts. This is one the most creative approaches to harnessing solar energy I have seen to date. It maximizes the available footprint of an existing infrastructure. This would be a great application for areas that do not have open land areas. The possibilities of where you can place a vertical solar pole are endless.
John Vlahakis
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