Hillsborough County’s Energy Outage Emergency Beacons aren’t the one new approach to energy site visitors alerts within the space.
Tampa lately launched the primary photo voltaic sidewalk on the nook of Cass Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, consisting of 84 photo voltaic panels mounted on the sidewalk and storing power that may energy the intersection’s site visitors alerts for as much as three days, based on Brandon Campbell, the town’s good mobility supervisor.
The panels have a slip-resistant coating to forestall pedestrian hazards, and they’re examined to take care of site visitors for strolling, biking, and even a garden mower driving over them. The world the place the photo voltaic panels are situated has a raised part of sidewalk by about 1.5 inches, based on Campbell.
The town is working with Vancouver-based Photo voltaic Earth Options on the mission.
“So far as I do know, that is the one sign that has a devoted photo voltaic array on it within the nation,” Campbell stated.
Campbell stated the concept began after Hurricane Irma in 2017, when the workforce determined they wished to discover a extra secure and longer-term backup energy supply in case of energy outages. The town has an insufficient provide of turbines in case of a number of outages, and whereas a few of the alerts have battery backups, they final solely eight hours.
The affect of Hurricane Ian solely bolstered the necessity for extra energy choices.
“We’ve got about 35 turbines in our sign store that may be deployed at any intersection as wanted,” Campbell stated. “However for a way of scale, with Hurricane Ian that occurred earlier this yr, the day after the storm, we had 71 darkish alerts.”
Thus far, the outcomes have been optimistic.
“In the present day, it generates about 75% of the electrical energy wants there,” Campbell stated. “We’re on the lookout for methods to enhance the pilot and probably get that to 100% of the ability necessities.”
Campbell emphasised that photo voltaic sidewalks tasks like this one may be very helpful, however they aren’t the reply to all backup energy for metropolis intersections.
“There are locations the place the photo voltaic array on the sidewalk is not good as a result of there’s an excessive amount of shade,” Campbell stated. “If it is within the shadow of a constructing, that factor. Perhaps there aren’t the precise circumstances. “
One other query that is still to be answered is the price of every set up.
“This pilot, we spent about $45,000 on supplies and put in it with our in-house forces,” Campbell stated. “If we have to scale that up in any important method, we actually haven’t got the assets internally.”
And with the price of supplies rising throughout the nation, that doubtless means the price of every set up will improve.
Campbell stated ideally, he sees a mixture between photo voltaic sidewalks and Hillsborough County’s emergency beacon system, which is the most cost effective possibility of the 2 backups.
If funding turns into accessible, Campbell stated their subsequent photo voltaic sidewalk pilot may very well be positioned at an intersection close to Blake Excessive Faculty. His workforce lately submitted a grant utility to the US Division of Transportation to assist fund the following set up.
He stated there is no such thing as a timetable for when they’ll obtain a solution from the feds.
“On the coronary heart of what we’re making an attempt to do – the transformation of tomorrow in Tampa – is handle site visitors or ease your congestion, utilizing expertise,” Campbell stated. “And this is likely one of the tasks that matches into that scope, and it is one of many many various issues that we’re making an attempt to do as a metropolis to seek out new methods to handle site visitors wants and administration to the wants of the residents.”
