Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino, a trio of Italian designers, have come up with an ingenious way to generate energy without consuming valuable real estate. Between the pillars of a long-expanse bridge, a multitude of turbines capture wind energy from the faster-moving high-altitude currents. In addition, the (currently theoretical) road is paved with a “dense network of solar cells,” covered with a transparent and highly-resistant plastic,  increasing the design’s energy production.

The estimated energy production of Solar Wind is 40 million kWh per year.

If that’s not enough, a sky-high Solar Park is also built into the plan, complete with green areas, trees and enclosed rest areas. Though probably not recommended for the faint of heart, a park area is a pretty cool feature.

There are no definite plans yet to build the Solar Wind bridge, but the design in itself is rather awesome. Tell me, Geeks: do you think it’s viable?

[Source]

Tags: design technology, green design, solar power, wind energy