Here's a webinar on encouraging more solar panels over parking lots and along highway rights-of-way, a thing I don't care about.
But I do care about shade for people walking and biking, and have always wondered:
*Do the undersides of PV panels give off any absorbed heat?
*Would PV panel porticos over sidewalks/bike lanes/trails offer quality-of-trip benefits along with power generation?
https://environmentamerica.org/events/solar-on-highways-and-parking-lots/
@bikepedantic I care about shade for walking and biking right up until I actively don’t want it. I want sun’s warmth when it’s cold. And especially if you don’t clear snow, covering a trail from the top won’t stop drifts but will preclude them from getting melted
@CelloMomOnCars @bikepedantic we have a spot in Providence that includes in-street trees. Doesn’t work everywhere tho
I don't think that solar panels would work either, given that they might be shaded from buildings nearby. This limits where they can be placed.
@spookie what if not everywhere is a city @CelloMomOnCars @Shadow
@bikepedantic we lived on a dead end alley in Pittsburgh with impassable sidewalks. (Obstructed by front steps from row houses)
So no amount of sidewalk clearing was enough, it was 4th (last) priority for plow or salt, and someone wanted to (and did eventually) build a 4 story house on the south side of the street, where the rest of the row was 3 stories. So it’s probably worse than when I lived there.
For that reason I opposed the house. A deal that resulted in the street being cleared would have mollified me and I bet instead nothing happened