I've always believed that energy targets like "5 per cent by 2020" were penny-ante and pretty useless against the giant threat of global warming. If things were to change it would take a big idea, a paradigm shift in our production of energy.
Well now an idea has come along that's highly complex yet mind-blowingly simple: Turn the streets and highways into solar collectors. That's what a firm called Solar Roadways has done, with a little US Government research funding. A fortnight ago they turned to crowd sourcing of funds aiming to raise $1 million. So far nearly $2 million has come in.
Here's how the system works. The existing road is covered by solar panels. Each is a hexagonal tile made of incredibly strong glass. Inside it is an array of photo-voltaic cells, 128 LEDs and a micro processor. The panels click together like the wall of a honeycomb, screwed into the tarmac or concrete - they become the road.
They've been tested to take endless trucks and heavy traffic. If one fails it can be replaced quickly. In fact its companion tiles will signal the failure and identify the tile position.
The LEDs can be programmed to light up as needed - as centre lines, as parking lot dividers, as warning messages to traffic, or just as illumination on a dark night.
During the day they soak up the sun and pour energy into the power grid. In America they claim the system would be capable of generating three times the amount of energy the country needs. For winter climates the units have built-in heaters to melt the snow - saving a fortune on snow ploughs and back strain.
A covered channel runs alongside the road, carrying the necessary wiring - and any other cables, glass fibres and power lines. Oh yes - by putting our electricity in there we take down the ugly power poles and the bush fire danger they threaten each year.
In Australia, of course, with our abundance of sun, this is the answer we have been waiting for. We don't have to build power stations, or debate nuclear power any more - we will already have an ample supply of electricity.
But don't worry, my readers in the La Trobe Valley, this isn't going to happen tomorrow. It will take a lot of time as streets, then parking lots, then roads are gradually transformed. And there will always be a need for generated power, at least for a long time to come.
The best part of it is, these roads will pay for themselves. The power they produce is a saleable commodity. They can also have roadside power stops to recharge your electric car.
Figures from the US have speculated that carbon emissions can be reduced by 75 per cent through this technology. Now that is the kind of pollution saving I want to see - forget the tiddly five per cent.
