At long last, the world's largest solar bridge at London's Blackfriars station is finally complete. Solarcentury and England's Network Rail partnered to cover the bridge with 4,400 photovoltaic panels. Formerly an energy hog, the bridge now provides Blackfriars station with half of the energy it requires to operate. Work on the world's largest solar bridge formally began on October 2011. The Blackfriars solar bridge stretches across the River Thames, transporting thousands of commuters every day from South London out of one of the busiest stations in the city. The station already accommodates electric trains, which make public transportation even greener, but with the new solar bridge is expected to make the station even more sustainable. First Capital Connect, which runs Blackfriars, estimates that the 4,400 photovoltaic panels will divert 511 tons of carbon emissions each year, drastically reducing the station's carbon footprint. Aside from providing renewable energy to the station, the Blackfriars Bridge will also serve as a symbol of London's quest to be a more sustainable city. The photovoltaic panels can be seen from both sides of the river, inviting tourists and locals to think about renewable energy. Solarcentury designed the bridge to incorporate the panels every step of the way, making a point that renewable energy is not an afterthought. Instead, it comprises a crucial element of the design.

London's Blackfriars Tube station is on its way to becoming the world's largest solar bridge. Stretching across South Bank a stone's throw from the Tate Modern, the busy station, built by Solarcentury, has already reached the halfway point to completion. Construction on the world's largest solar bridge began on October 2011. Blackfriars Tube station is still fully functioning, ferrying Londoners and tourists from the popular South Bank promenade to areas all over the city. Yet construction is still underway across the bridge's rooftop. Heavy scaffolding is slowly being removed to reveal the 4,400 solar panels that will serve the station, pumping 900 thousand kWh of solar energy back into the grid each year. The solar powerhouse will also reduce CO2 emissions by 511 tons per year, all while promptly serving commuters with uninterrupted service around the city. The gorgeous Victorian bridge is the only bearing solar panels along the River Thames. With stellar city views, boats pass under the bridge's arches throughout the day, while the station serves 24 trains per hour. Pedestrians strolling along the South Bank walk way pass under the historic bridge, check out the progress of its solar modernization. The idyllic scene could be just a glimpse of London's future. With over 100 bridges crossing the River Thames throughout the city, adding additional solar arrays on any of them could drastically reduce the city's consumption of fossil fuels, and ensure a source of clean energy for generations to come, reducing emissions and overall carbon footprint.

Work on the world's largest solar bridge formally begins, as the first of more than 4.400 solar panels are installed above the new "Blackfriars" station platform, reported The Guardian. When complete in 2012, the "Victorian" bridge will play host to some 6 thousand square meters of photovoltaic (PV) panels, making it London's largest solar array. The historic London site is undergoing a multi-million pound refit, which includes extending the platform along "Blackfriars Bridge", a structure built in 1886. "Solarcentury", the UK company, managing the installation, expects the panels to generate around 900,000kWh of electricity a year, providing half of the station's energy and reducing annual CO2 emissions by an estimated 511 tons. "Station buildings and bridges are fixed parts of our urban landscape and it is great to see that this one will be generating renewable energy every day into the future. For people to see that solar power is working is a vital step towards a clean energy future," said "Solarcentury" chief executive Derry Newman in a statement. Other energy saving measures, such as rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for natural lighting, are also being fitted at "Blackfriars", as part of Network Rail's plans to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent per passenger kilometer by 2020. One other solar bridge is known to exist, "The Kurilpa" footbridge in Brisbane, Australia, although 16 thousand solar panels were laid on the top of a train tunnel in Belgium earlier this year.