Innovative solar panels designed by Julie and Scott Brusaw can be installed on roads, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots.
Inventors want to cover all concrete and asphalt surfaces with solar panels.
Solar Roadways will generate electricity, reduce environmental impact, melt snow, and flash LED lights to warn drivers of upcoming danger.
Working solar road prototype can already handle 250,000 pound trucks.
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diego
WHY THE HELL THIS IDEA DID NOT COME OUT BEFORE!
Jun 3rd, 2014
Critical Eye
Interesting concept… kudos for creativity. But this seems impractical for real-life deployment:
– An order of magnitude more expensive than asphalt
– Requires more specialized installation (more expensive)
– Power generation is hampered when cars are on the road (blocking the sun)
– All the wiz-bang features (snow melting) require energy, negating power generating potential.
Why not just concentrate on making roof top panels cheaper? There’s plenty of roof space that could be used to generate electricity.
Jun 3rd, 2014
Thunder
Great idea but Critical Eye makes some good points. How long does these solar roads last? I can only see this being implemented on a large scale when the cost-life(-profit) ratio is better than that of asphalt roads. If not a project like this is doomed to be implemented in neighbourhoods for the super-elite as something to show of with.
Jun 3rd, 2014
Kathy
This is an incredible idea! While there may be some initial issues, they could be overcome with volume production and installation training.
The concept may be better suited for some areas of the US than others, but it would still be a tremendous benefit overall. It would be interesting to know how much energy is generated – i.e. perhaps using this concept on 50% of roads in a metro area might do the trick; Would be great for LEEDS applicants to include as parking lot coverage to power the associated building.
It feels like the surface coverage of these would be far greater than roof-top panels.
Nice!
Being from the midwest, I have to wonder… solar potholes??
Jun 3rd, 2014
erwin
Nice idea but..
My concern is how slippery are they when wet.
Doesn’t the dirt needs to be cleaned of allot. Tyre marks won’t go off easily.
doesn’t that profile create allot off tyre noise and wear.
Some issues could be overcome, but its gonna be an expensive road.
Jun 3rd, 2014
Rob
Why the hell are we not investing in this?!?!
Jun 3rd, 2014
jimbo
I wonder like Critical Eye, what the panel life expectancy would be, as well as the pay-back on investment. Solar panals on homes and roof tops are in the neighborhood of 12+ years. If this were even close to what the road panels would survive, the effectiveness of the panel’s due to weather, elements, and wear must reduce effectiveness 3-5% yearly. Thunder is right.
Jun 3rd, 2014
Chris
It’s an attractive idea for a central strip, maybe, but not the entire pavement. What happens when it rains? I’m not taken with the idea of riding my bike along sheets of wet glass. In traffic. Downhill.
Jun 3rd, 2014
Alex
Sweet idea, but I have my concerns:
-Hindered power usage from normal use and debris
-Coefficient of friction between itself and a normal tire
-Not practical in any large city (hello skyscrapers’ shadows)
Jun 3rd, 2014
jimberoni
Nice idea for a patio or driveway that you want to maintain yourself, but impractical for highways. I tink it would be filthy and useless as a solar collector in a matter of days.
Jun 3rd, 2014
Rob
I think this may be more practical for parking lots and driveways where speed is low and it it financed by private owners. In city streets there are many manholes owned by different utilities. It will be difficult for any repairs to to funded by these utilities even if the damage is caused by them.
My biggest concern, though, is for the traction and road noise. I have a jeep with offroad tires that have a lower profile than these roads and they are quit noisy.
Jun 19th, 2014