Revolutionary solar tunnel powers Europe's first 'green' high-speed trains - Polidicks

[img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/08/article-2001030-0C6EAE0600000578-765_468x395.jpg[/img] Green energy: 16,000 solar panels line the tunnel in Antwerp, Belgium [quote=Mail Online] High-speed international trains linking Paris and Amsterdam set off this week powered by electricity from a ground-breaking solar tunnel. The 2.2mile long tunnel crossing Antwerp in Belgium is fitted with 16,000 solar panels covering 50,000 square metres, roughly eight football pitches. The panels produce 3,300 megawatts per hour of electricity, which will be enough to power 4,000 trains a year. Enfinity, the U.S based company which developed the project, said it would decrease CO2 emissions by 2,400 tons per year. 'By using electricity generated on-site, we eliminate energy losses and transport costs,' said Steven De Tollenaere from Enfinity. The first 'green train' left Antwerp on Monday for the Dutch border, filled with the usual commuters and students. Most were unaware that for the first dozen miles or so, the train's engines were plugged into the solar energy source fitted along the line. The electricity produced feeds into the line's infrastructure, for lighting, signals and in-train power points, said Frederic Sacre, spokesman for Infrabel, which runs the rail network. The company hopes the project, which cost £12m, will be extended to the U.S. However, there are no plans to introduce the solar infrastructure in the UK as recent cuts to financial incentives have made such projects unviable. Bart van Renerghem from Enfinity, told Sky News: 'Apparently the UK Government is more concerned about the Treasury than the mid and long-term carbon reduction objectives that we have. Personally, I think it is short-sighted.' [/quote] Read more: [url]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2001030/First-solar-tunnel-Europe-powers-high-speed-trains.html#ixzz1OlZUWkQU[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc7ahEzVt1U[/media]

"Revolutionary" I wonder how much carbon dioxide the production of these solar panels released.

[QUOTE=Haxxer;30346706]"Revolutionary" I wonder how much carbon dioxide the production of these solar panels released.[/QUOTE] Well at least they aren't going to produce any more of it.

[QUOTE=Chrille;30346733]Well at least they aren't going to produce any more of it.[/QUOTE] Until the panels break. Or they need more power. Or other people buy more of them. Or people throw shit all over them Or they become outdated by new solar panel technology

Solar panels are actually pretty green if it comes to co2 produced to make them (around 0.5 to 1 year payback time. These arrent car batteries or annything. Only wind and water energy are greener.

[QUOTE=DireAvenger;30347265]Until the panels break. Or they need more power. Or other people buy more of them. Or people throw shit all over them Or they become outdated by new solar panel technology[/QUOTE] I think it's more the point of fossil fuels, we don't have much left so may as well start trying to save what we have.

Interesting. Ill look for those on my next trip

First i though "Oh what a fucking waste of space, but a road ontop of the tunnel instead" (and though it was a train tunnel or something) But then i saw the roof was much higher up Good use of that space

Oh hey, an article on The Mail that's actually fairly well written and factual! That's a world fi- [quote]However, there are no plans to introduce the solar infrastructure in the UK as recent cuts to financial incentives have made such projects unviable. Bart van Renerghem from Enfinity, told Sky News: 'Apparently the UK Government is more concerned about the Treasury than the mid and long-term carbon reduction objectives that we have. Personally, I think it is short-sighted.'[/quote] [b]OF COURSE.[/b]

Sounds pretty cool actually, the UK rail system desperately needs an upgrade (slow trains, constant delays, unkempt seating...).

No upgrades for the UK because our government sucks and we are poor. Woo.

[QUOTE=DireAvenger;30347265]Until the panels break. Or they need more power. Or other people buy more of them. Or people throw shit all over them Or they become outdated by new solar panel technology[/QUOTE] I actually meant that the panels wouldn't release any carbon dioxide :v: it wust just horrible worded.

[QUOTE=cyanidem;30348236]No upgrades for the UK because our government sucks and we are poor. Woo.[/QUOTE] better than us goverment

all these so called "green technologies" do is steal jobs from the common, hard working people, and push forward a false agenda of the new world order in order to enslave all of us, while also being worse for the environment than fossil fuel based energy and technology just as bad as all the false anti-smoking propaganda

[QUOTE=mastfire;30348741]better than us goverment[/QUOTE] Yeah, when we run out we just print more.

I may be a picky traveler, but I enjoy scenery... Is it possible that in the near future we could do see solar panel glass plates which could pick up solar rays, but at the same time let people admire scenery?

Just a heads up, I live near there, and let me tell you - That enfinity company making those big solar panels and huge green projects now? They don't do it for the "green" you know - they were on the brink of bankruptcy and started pushing out all these huge projects selling their panels cheap as shit in order to acquire funding. If they didn't have internal problems they would not have cared a single shit about these kind of "hippie" projects. Goes to show how much they care :v:

[QUOTE=MendozaMan;30350359]Just a heads up, I live near there, and let me tell you - That enfinity company making those big solar panels and huge green projects now? They don't do it for the "green" you know - they were on the brink of bankruptcy and started pushing out all these huge projects selling their panels cheap as shit in order to acquire funding. If they didn't have internal problems they would not have cared a single shit about these kind of "hippie" projects. Goes to show how much they care :v:[/QUOTE] So basically a green energy project is complete and a company doesn't go under which lets many people keep their jobs What's the problem

[QUOTE=Zeke129;30351357]So basically a green energy project is complete and a company doesn't go under which lets many people keep their jobs What's the problem[/QUOTE] The problem is that nobody really gives a shit. It might not be that much of a problem short term wise, but it indicates that nobody will actually do anything in the long term.

[QUOTE=Glorbo;30351410]The problem is that nobody really gives a shit. It might not be that much of a problem short term wise, but it indicates that nobody will actually do anything in the long term.[/QUOTE] It's called capitalism buddy. Why else would they do it? Do you think the guys at mcdonalds are making your burger because they want you to enjoy their meat? It's the free market, that's how it works. Almost everything is done for financial gain.

[QUOTE=Rofl my Waff;30351470]It's called capitalism buddy. Why else would they do it? Do you think the guys at mcdonalds are making your burger because they want you to enjoy their meat? It's the free market, that's how it works. Almost everything is done for financial gain.[/QUOTE] And that's the type of lifestyle that's going to lead us to consume the Earth until there's nothing left over. Sometimes I wonder if humanity [I]is[/I] simply a failed species amongst the potential others in space.

[QUOTE=Glorbo;30351410]The problem is that nobody really gives a shit. It might not be that much of a problem short term wise, but it indicates that nobody will actually do anything in the long term.[/QUOTE] Seeing more solar stuff around turns public opinion on the technology and causes people to push for more of it

Saw this being built while traveling along the autobahn to Croatia last year, didn't know what it was back then. They sure built it fast.

"will be extended to the US" Aha, fat chance of them putting anything like that here. All the politicians will do is bitch and moan about how expensive photovoltaic panels are. [editline]9th June 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Zeke129;30351666]Seeing more solar stuff around turns public opinion on the technology and causes people to push for more of it[/QUOTE] Cost vs. output is the big turn-off though. Solar panels aren't nearly efficient (or at the very least cheap) enough to be a promising alternative energy source yet. And that sucks. That and companies can't put a meter on the sun, so they can't charge for power, so the odds of energy companies embracing stuff like this is slim.

I can't help it but to imagine a modern future capital city being so economic friendly it's almost like a forest, but a [b]green[/b] capital city. Wouldn't that be quite something? [editline]10th June 2011[/editline] When oil has run dry and all I mean, far ahead in the future.. I can see that happening.

[QUOTE=Bat-shit;30357231]I can't help it but to imagine a modern future capital city being so economic friendly it's almost like a forest, but a [B]green[/B] capital city. Wouldn't that be quite something? [editline]10th June 2011[/editline] When oil has run dry and all I mean, far ahead in the future.. I can see that happening.[/QUOTE] By the time oil has literally run dry the air will be so polluted and the atmosphere beyond fucked. Then energy companies will just find something else to sell us at ridiculous rates. "Hey, what do you want us to do? It's hard to make any solar power with all the smog, that means more panels, more land, more costs that have to be compensated for! :downs:"

We'll see.. I mean.. Fuck that hit me hard

[QUOTE=Zero-Point;30357165] Cost vs. output is the big turn-off though. Solar panels aren't nearly efficient (or at the very least cheap) enough to be a promising alternative energy source yet. And that sucks. That and companies can't put a meter on the sun, so they can't charge for power, so the odds of energy companies embracing stuff like this is slim.[/QUOTE] I can see in the future the power grid becoming more decentralized, and solar panels are a good way to start that. As they become more efficient we'll be seeing more and more people going partially or even entirely off the grid. If I had a moderately large plot of land I'd definitely invest in solar panels to handle my own power needs.

[QUOTE=Rofl my Waff;30351470]It's the [b]free market[/b], that's how it works.[/QUOTE] No, it isn't. [QUOTE=aznz888;30351520]And that's the type of lifestyle that's going to lead us to consume the Earth until there's nothing left over. Sometimes I wonder if humanity [I]is[/I] simply a failed species amongst the potential others in space.[/QUOTE] So that's the end of your statement, huh? Not going to go into that any further, like why that's the case, the economic reality of the situation, any shred of evidence that a "capitalist" system doesn't take scarcity of resources into account? Nah. Sometimes I wonder if some humans are really as smart as they think they are. [QUOTE=Zero-Point;30357165]That and companies can't put a meter on the sun, so they can't charge for power, so the odds of energy companies embracing stuff like this is slim.[/QUOTE] [img]http://forum.neko-sentai.com/images/smilies/55ms9.gif[/img]

[QUOTE=s0beit;30360983] [img]http://forum.neko-sentai.com/images/smilies/55ms9.gif[/img][/QUOTE] So when people start producing their own power you honestly thing existing power companies will be perfectly fine with becoming obsolete/un-necessary? Out here the electric co-op gives bonuses if you generate SOME of your own power, but that's only because it helps to take the strain off the grid. But were everyone creating their own power, there's no need for the utility company anymore. That's people out of work, people in fancy cars having to settle for less-fancy cars, and an entire energy infrastructure essentially wasted. Fun fact: Nikola Tesla used to be heralded as a genius, a celebrity like Edison was thanks to his INVENTION of the modern energy infrastructure (AC, induction motors, etc), and he had the backing of some of the biggest names in the industry, the biggest being Westinghouse. That is until Westinghouse dropped Tesla's funding. Know why? Tesla was working on a new method of power transmission that would require nothing more to access than an antenna. Westinghouse couldn't put a meter on that, so no return on his investments, so he essentially shut Tesla down. So if you honestly think that ALL of the big players in energy somehow evolved a heart of gold between then and now I can call that nothing less than naivety.