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Generating power from the roads

A stretch of highway in the US state of Georgia is being used to generate power and make toilet paper, in an experiment to develop an environmentally-friendly road.

As scientists and companies work on cleaning up cars, there鈥檚 also a team developing new technology along a road in rural Georgia in the United States, with the aim of making a truly sustainable highway. The Ray, an 18-mile stretch of road near the Alabama border, is a 鈥渓iving laboratory鈥 where eco-friendly projects are being tested. It鈥檚 got pollination gardens, a tyre-monitoring system to help reduce fuel consumption and solar panels embedded in a section of the road. A large solar installation also generates power and revenue, helping to reduce carbon emissions and encourage investment.
We meet the team behind the project and explore whether cleaner roads can be rolled out elsewhere in the United States and further afield.

Presenter: Harriet Noble
Reporter: Nicola Kelly

Photo caption: An electric vehicle鈥檚 battery gets charged at a station along The Ray
Photo credit: The Ray C. Anderson Foundation

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23 minutes

Last on

Tue 17 Jul 2018 19:06GMT

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  • Tue 17 Jul 2018 19:06GMT

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