Description
General Project idea:
Attempting to find simple method that scan and search Bing maps or satellite images or aerial photos of urban areas etc to search for and list all the potential locations, installations as retrofit on existing, public or privately owned infrastructure (i.e. south facing sides of bridges and masts)
The team have observed railings on bridges that are running east/westerly, and have very long length of free, unused surface on the existing south facing railings, without other constructions or trees shading the railings throughout the days.
If this project will be producing a software, we will look into if it is possible or suitable to use machine learning, Artificial Intelligence in order to more automatically recognize, evaluate and recommend the suitable assembly points to retrofit solar panels (PV-cells or thin film sheets) on to for instance the external outside of the pylons and/or the railings of a bridge.
In northern hemisphere, it would be needed a southward facing side of mast or bridge that prefereably runs from east to west, so that maximum area of the bridge railing is facing south. (In southern hemisphere the opposite is needed, facing north)
In the regions near the equator it is possibly enough existing solutions to find flat horisontal surfaces on roof tops of flat buildings etc. So this project will focus on geographical regions in the northern hemisphere where the angle of the sun during winter are low, so the solar panels becomes less efficient during winter from both the possibility of snow cover on the panels, and also from the sun rays having to low incoming angle onto roof tops.
Side projects:
Investigate and sketch on different cost efficient installation methods that make installation of solar panels fast, simple, cost efficient as well as being mounted in such a way that car drivers on the bridges could avoid being blinded by sun during times of the year when the sun is low on the horizon (i.e. middle of winter and during sun rise and sun sets)
Effective installation of solar panels on bridge railings could have several positive side effects.
Bicyclists and pedestrians on bridges could benefit from wind cover and/or rain cover.
Net or similar catchment method could eliminate the risk for passing traffic below the bridge, so as noone could throw out dangerous objects or trash from the bridge to the level below the bridge.