TOLEDO, Ohio — A bridge equipped with solar panels will demonstrate if the technology can deliver energy savings on other highway projects, transportation officials said.

“It will define our region as a solar center for innovation,” said U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo. Not only will the panels support local jobs and research, it will reduce the bridge’s lighting costs for decades to come, she said. 

Solar power is already cost competitive compared to standard grid power, especially if the project would require expensive transmission lines.