http://www.solarroadways.com/Press Releases
August 25, 2009
US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AWARDS $100,000 RESEARCH CONTRACT TO SOLAR ROADWAYS
Funds intelligent roads and parking lots
SOLAR ROADWAYS, SAGLE, IDAHO (August 25, 2009)- Solar Roadways today announced that it has been awarded a DOT contract that will enable them to prototype the first ever Solar Road Panel.
The Solar Roadways will collect solar energy to power businesses and homes via structurally-engineered solar panels that are driven upon, to be placed in parking lots and roadways in lieu of petroleum-based asphalt surfaces.
The Solar Road Panels will contain embedded LEDs which "paint" the road lines from beneath to provide safer nighttime driving, as well as to give up to the minute instructions (via the road) to drivers (i.e. "detour ahead"). The road will be able to sense wildlife on the road and can warn drivers to "slow down". There will also be embedded heating elements in the surface to prevent snow and ice buildup, providing for safer winter driving. This feature packed system will become an intelligent highway that will double as a secure, intelligent, decentralized, self-healing power grid which will enable a gradual weaning from fossil fuels.
Replacing asphalt roads and parking lots with Solar Roadway panels will be a major step toward halting climate change. Fully electric vehicles will be able to recharge along the roadway and in parking lots, finally making electric cars practical for long trips.
It is estimated that is will take roughly five billion (a stimulus package in itself) 12' by 12' Solar Road Panels to cover the asphalt surfaces in the U.S. alone, allowing us to produce three times more power than we've ever used as a nation - almost enough to power the entire world.It all just seems so improbable. We’re not talking solar heating here, these are photovoltaic panels…
Driving on solar panels…
http://www.solarroadways.com/FAQ.htm …
What happens when a Solar Road Panel™(s) gets damaged or destroyed (lightning strike, overturned vehicles, earthquake, etc.)? Couldn’t the Solar Roadways™ short out and leave us all in the dark?
No. Each Solar Road Panel™ will have electrical connections on each of its four sides. A GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter – found in our homes to prevent us from being electrocuted if we drop a hair dryer in the bathtub) will monitor each of these connections. If too much current begins to flow (short circuit?), the electrical connection will be shut off, therefore isolating any damaged panels. On a larger scale – say a fuel truck explodes, completely severing the road in half - no one would lose power. All of the panels leading up to your home would still be collecting and storing power. You may lose your cable TV or telephone (land line) until the road is repaired, but you’d still have power.
…How are you going to keep the surface clean?
While at the International Workshop on Scientific Challenges for New Functionalities in Glass, I learned of a new technology: self-cleaning glass. From Wikipedia: “Self-cleaning glass is a specific type of glass with a surface which keeps itself free of dirt and grime through natural processes. The glass cleans itself in two stages: the ‘photocatalytic’ stage of the process breaks down the organic dirt on the glass using ultraviolet in sunlight (even on overcast days) and makes the glass hydrophilic (normally glass is hydrophobic). During the following ‘hydrophilic’ state, rain washes away the dirt – leaving almost no streaks, because hydrophilic glass spreads the water evenly over its surface.”
It is yet to be seen if this process will be enough to keep our Solar Roadways™ operating under optimal performance (100% clean surfaces), but it will certainly put a dent in a potential problem. There will be some obvious obstacles such as oil spills, sandstorms, storm debris, etc. Here’s the worst case scenario: when I was a kid in southern California, we used to chase street sweepers (vehicles with large rotating brushes) down the street. We still use them in the springtime here in north Idaho to clear the roads of the sand that was used for traction during the winter months. Similar vehicles could be used when needed to maintain a clean road surface on the Solar Roadways™. Again, this is worst case and only if the self-cleaning properties of the glass aren’t enough to do the entire job.
…Seems like a real
low probability to me…
On the other hand… if it
could work… you might even be able to power your car with the road you were driving on…
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