Londoners Begin Work on Large Solar Bridge

The world is watching as Londoners make the city's long-awaited Blackfriars Bridge project finally come to fruition.  The eco-initiative, which will be managed by Solar Century, will incorporate over 4,000 solar panels onto the Blackfriars Railway Bridge, located over the River Thames.  It's expected to provide approximately 900,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

According to CNN, that much electricity is enough to provide Blackfriars Railway Station "with half of its energy needs."  Additionally, the station's CO2 emissions are expected to drop by more than 500 tons.  The Guardian reports that the project is expected to be completed by 2012, and will be London's largest display of solar panels.

The new Blackfriars Rail Bridge, which is located "in the heart of London," will not only power the station and reduce carbon emissions, but it will also prove to people worldwide that clean energy is the way of the future.  "For people to see that solar power is working is a vital step towards a clean energy future," Derry Newman, a representative for Solar Century, told CNN.

Built in 1886, the railway bridge is part of the city's railroad history.  The solar-panel update will transform the bridge into "an iconic station for the city," said Lindsay Vamplew, project director for Blackfriars.  I'm excited to the effect the solar technology will have on the railroad station and its patrons.  Hopefully the rest of the world's cities will soon follow suit; I can think of a few bridges in New York that could surely utilize the same technology!