Solar Roadways Seeks $1M to Replace Streets with Solar Panels

[Rhykker]

Solar Roadways Seeks $1M to Replace Streets with Solar Panels


A crowd funding project is seeking $1 million to revolutionize the world's road infrastructure with "solar roadways" - solar panels that can be driven on, melt snow, and provide customizable illumination.

Imagine a world in which you no longer have to shovel your driveway, worry about potholes, or have difficulty seeing the dividing lines on streets at night. Scott and Julie Brusaw, co-inventors of Solar Roadways, are seeking to make that a reality with their modular paving system of solar panels.

But Solar Roadways isn't just a pipe dream. The project has received two phases of funding from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration for research and development of a paving system that will pay for itself over its lifespan - in this case, the panels pay for themselves primarily through the generation of electricity, which can power homes and businesses connected via driveways and parking lots.

Prototypes have been tested to withstand the heaviest of trucks, include heating elements to remain free of snow and ice, and have customizable LEDs to make road lines and signage. Electric vehicles will even be able to charge while driving on solar roadways through "mutual induction technology."

The inventors claim that a nationwide system of Solar Roadways could produce more clean, renewable energy than a country uses as a whole and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent. They are seeking $1 million to hire staff to move into production as quickly as possible and fill key rolls, including materials engineers, civil engineers, and structural engineers.

In the future, will we be literally walking on sunshine?

Source: Indiegogo [https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways#home]

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[FalloutJack]

Good thought, but I see two practical problems with it.

{1} The wear and tear. All the crap that ends up on regular roads - from treadmarks to garbage to animal carcasses and so on - will end up here too, without fail. This will gradually, then greatly, inhibit the process simply by blocking the sun. You get significantly less than this on basic solar panel areas because they're not being driven on or are in generally public areas where other things happen in their midst.

{2} Wouldn't the heat of the panels absorbing sun all day cause tire blowouts?

 

[Jupiter065]

These things aren't going to absorb any more heat than black asphalt. In fact, the whole point is to convert some of the suns energy into electricity instead of heat.

I worry more about how they're going to simultaneously make these things transparent enough for the solar panels to work and rough enough that it won't be like driving on ice.

Other than that, who knows, could work!

 

[evilnancyreagan]

See now here we have a crowdfunding project worth investing in. Reallocate the resources from ridiculous Shaq-Fu remake and we'd already be almost half way there. Makes you wonder if we have our priorities in order as a society.

 

[FalloutJack]

Hoi

Mind you, I'm NOT saying to put the halters on the idea. It's GREAT as long as you address stuff like this and make sure it works, stays working, and is the benefit to mankind you're hoping for. I'm just saying that nature has a way of screwing with us on things like this, right along with physics and other things. They shouldn't give up if this turns out to be a problem, just...work on it.

 

[ThreeKneeNick]

I worry more about how they're going to simultaneously make these things transparent enough for the solar panels to work and rough enough that it won't be like driving on ice.

Maybe that's where the texture comes in, the bumps are rough and provide grip for tires, and the space between is clear and smooth to catch the light.

But what if you have heavy traffic and the cars block all the light, and trees by the side of the road casting shadows too. Doesn't sound like it can be very efficient, by maybe it can still work on a massive scale. I'm really intrigued by this.

 

[Agayek]

I'm intrigued by this. I've got some concerns about the practicality of such a move, but if they can pull it off, this'd be fucking amazing.

 

[rasputin0009]

Well, you can't really use it anywhere there's going to be ice simply because of frost heaves fucking up any kind of foundation. I can't see any government spending $20 million per 1/4 mile to dig 30 ft and fill it with layered cement before they put on the fancy solar-powered pavement.

But in mild climates, ya, it sounds like a great idea.

 

[Albino Boo]

Another pie in the sky idea. The problem is that transmission of electrical power over long distances isn't very efficient. Thats why there are high voltage power lines. If you collect power on the roads without accompanying high voltage transmission lines and step up transformers every few miles most of the power is going to be wasted. The capital costs of building that accompanying infrastructure means that it probably would not break even.

 

[Tradjus]

So they believe that the U.S government will be able too construct and maintain a nationwide network of these solar roads?

I've had a pot hole in the road in front of my house for the past three and a half years.

Nuff' said.

 

[EndlessSporadic]

Assuming something like this can be done it would be the most amazing thing ever.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

Good thought, but I see two practical problems with it.

{1} The wear and tear. All the crap that ends up on regular roads - from treadmarks to garbage to animal carcasses and so on - will end up here too, without fail. This will gradually, then greatly, inhibit the process simply by blocking the sun. You get significantly less than this on basic solar panel areas because they're not being driven on or are in generally public areas where other things happen in their midst.

{2} Wouldn't the heat of the panels absorbing sun all day cause tire blowouts?

I'm sure it's all been well-thought out and these problems have already been addressed. I mean the government is alread dumping money into it, so it must be...

Oh...

Oh god...

More on topic, this is a really neat idea and, providing they do have all the kinks worked out, sounds like it could be very successful.

 

[nevarran]

I don't see it being used for highways in the middle on nowhere, for the reasons posted above.
But here and there, inside the cities? Parking areas and alleyways? Why not?

I also don't see them doing the revolution with those 1 million dollars, but if it helps them improve it and spread the word...

All in all, a starter worth kicking

 

[Thaluikhain]

Why?

I mean, we have the technology to stick solar panels on roofs where they don't have to worry about being driven on. Most roofs don't have these...why try to stick them on the road?

Why would you want to make them keep free of snow and ice? You really want to start putting the things where the sun in mostly shining, which is why they build solar plants in deserts.

 

[Skee]

A very, very small portion of roads in under a traffic jam at any given time. That is not a problem. Also, as pointed out, this will make the road cooler, not hotter, since part of the energy is turned into electricity.

The real problem is the cost. Not only the cost in the silly imaginary money we people use, but the actual energy cost of building these things compared to the energy output over their lifetime. Even dedicated solar panels have difficulty breaking even, although new technologies are rapidly addressing that. The wear of having cars drive over these would shorten the lifetime and tip the balance against.

On the other hand, it is not like it takes zero energy to construct regular asphalt. So it is not entirely implausible this could work out when comparing to regular roads. More likely in limited areas, though, since silly imaginary money does matter so much to us.

In the long term it is fairly likely humanity will try to make as many of the artificial surfaces we create solar panels as possible. This is already beginning with windows and walls. It is a good idea for roads too, but in the large scale dedicated panels like these seem too inefficient to build. With recent advances it is not inconceivable that some pourable material like asphalt could be dosed with some clever nano-structures to make it an inefficient, but very cheap solar energy source. That kind of technology would be much more useful.

In the very long term, maintaining roads is annoying. We need to make them living things so they take care of themselves. Then at the very last they will work with solar energy.

 

[Kajin]

This is neat. Assuming they can come up with a cost efficient way to implement it this could prove to be really awesome.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

They'll pave the way for driverless vehicles... Litterally.

But seriously, solar panels in hexagon shapes. What's not to love?
[sup]Unless you make your money from an oil well, of course...[/sup]