Reimagine Newburgh

05/16/2025

The Netherlands Built a Solar Road—And It’s Powering Homes

In a small town near Utrecht, a bold experiment is quietly changing how we think about roads. Engineers have turned an ordinary stretch of bike path into a solar power plant—embedded directly in the pavement.

This pilot project, called SolaRoad, uses strong glass panels layered with solar cells. As cyclists and pedestrians ride across it, the panels absorb sunlight and feed electricity into the grid. Despite its modest length, the road has already generated enough power for a small household for an entire year—just from people biking over it.

But this isn’t just about one bike path. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Space for solar farms is limited. That’s where solar roads come in: turning passive infrastructure into active energy producers.

The panels are rugged, slip-resistant, and designed to handle all weather conditions. As the technology improves, future versions will be even more efficient, durable, and scalable to highways, sidewalks, and parking lots.

Solar roads won’t replace all power plants, but they offer a glimpse of a smarter, dual-purpose future—where roads don’t just take us places. They help power the journey

05/16/2025

Switzerland is installing solar panels between train tracks. The Swiss start-up Sun-Ways has initiated a pilot project near Buttes in the canton of Neuchâtel, aiming to harness solar energy from the unused space between railway tracks. This innovative approach involves installing removable solar panels that can be quickly deployed and removed, ensuring that train operations and essential track maintenance are not disrupted.

The pilot installation consists of 48 solar panels over a 100-meter stretch of track, expected to produce approximately 16,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually—enough to power about four to six households. Sun-Ways estimates that if this system were implemented across the entire Swiss rail network, it could generate up to 1 terawatt-hour (TWh) of solar energy per year, supplying electricity to around 300,000 households, which corresponds to about 2% of Switzerland's total electricity consumption.

This project has garnered international interest, with countries like South Korea, Spain, Romania, China, and the United States exploring similar collaborations. While some experts express concerns about the long-term efficiency and maintenance of removable panels, others see significant potential in utilizing existing infrastructure for renewable energy production without consuming undeveloped land.

As Switzerland progresses toward its goal of a zero-emission future, the Sun-Ways initiative represents a bold and scalable model for clean energy production integrated with active railway infrastructure.

11/05/2024

City of Newburgh
NO LINES !
PLENTY OF PARKING!
VOTE VOTE VOTE! First & Montgomery

03/21/2024

As the housing crisis becomes a ballot-box issue worldwide, Amsterdam's AMST development sets new precedents for affordability and sustainability.

03/21/2024

Discover new assemblies, mixtures, and forms.

03/21/2024

Affordable housing differs depending on how the projects are supported and developed, making cross-city comparison a fascinating way how to explore how we can equitably design new ways of living.

02/11/2024

Reimagine

Recreational areas, a salt marsh and a site-specific installation feature at Gansevoort Peninsula on the Hudson River, designed by Field Operations.

12/09/2022

Hugh Broughton Architects has conserved and upgraded an 800-year-old tower in York, England, adding a timber deck that partially covers the ruin and provides a viewpoint overlooking the city.

06/17/2022

How awesome is this!

In Cluj-Napoca, Romania, you can pay for your bus ticket by doing 20 squats. A device measures the squats and issues a bus ticket valid for a trip in the CTP Cluj Napoca network (urban area). Disabled and elderly people can ride for free.