While most wouldn't picture Oregon as a potential bastion of solar power, the Oregon Department of Transportation recently unveiled the nation's first solar panel project on a major U.S. highway.

At the interchange of Interstate 5 and Interstate 205, the state installed roughly 1,000 square feet of solar panels to power the lights that illuminate the highway at night.  The panels will feed into the local electricity grid and account for 28 percent of the energy needed.

According to state officials, the project should begin generating electricity by the end of the year.

The Oregonian reported that early next year the department plans to request bids from other solar power developers for similar highway lighting projects. Their short-term goal is to generate two million kilowatt hours of solar power annually, an amount equivalent to four and a half percent of the Oregon Department of Transportation's annual energy consumption.

In the coming years, state transportation officials will also be investigating innovative ways to utilize solar paneling, such as for sound barriers between highways and neighborhoods and as building siding to increase longevity of building materials while generating power.

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