The Guardian reported today that Belgium will be covering one of its train
tunnels in solar panels: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/
06/tunnel-solar-belgium-rail

Whilst I question how putting trains in a tunnel protects the need to fell
trees (maybe the slipstream would make them fall down?) this is supremely
admirable, take one blight on the landscape and cover it with solar panels,
diversifying the use of the land and saving enough energy to power the Belgian
train network for a whole day (the article doesn’t say how long it takes to
generate this power).

Our government argues that such a project isn’t feasible this side of the Channel
as solar energy technology is too expensive, but what they don’t seem to realise
is that bulk buying something drives its price down. That’s the problem with
libertarian free-market economics; by putting the cost of green technologies
solely in the hands of the free market prices won’t become ‘affordable’ until
its too late. The time lag of the causes and effects of climate change is just too
long for us to wait for the private sector to consider solar technology a good
investment. The government needs to make it affordable.

I mean, come on, Belgium figured this one out and they don’t even have a
government…

Blog entry written by Anon.