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Solar Roadways Get DoT Funding
mikee805 writes "Solar Roadways, a project to replace over 25,000 square miles of road in the US with solar panels you can drive on, just received $100,000 in funding from the Department of Transportation for the first 12ft-by-12ft prototype panel. Each panel consists of three layers: a base layer with data and power cables running through it, an electronics layer with an array of LEDs, solar collectors and capacitors, and finally the glass road surface. With data and power cables, the solar roadway has the potential to replace some of our aging infrastructure. With only 15% efficiency, 25,000 square miles of solar roadways could produce three times what the US uses annually in energy. The building costs are estimated to be competitive with traditional roads, and the solar roads would heat themselves in the winter to keep snow from accumulating."
This is a pretty good idea, if it can be pulled off. Leaving aside the nonsense about climate change it's a Good Thing Anyway, though I'm a bit worried about overall durability compared to a layer of asphalt. I wish them the best!
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
Overstatement? I doubt there's any truth at all to it. How much carbon do you think it takes to fabricate 25,000 square miles of solar panels? As if we even have the capacity to manufacture that much; entire facilities would have to be built from the ground up. We already have roads; tearing them up and replacing them would certainly be a loss compared to just putting up panels in the desert and leaving roads alone. Then there's all the infrastructure to process and distribute the power from the roads and water cool them.
Well...I take your point. But I'm pretty sure nobody ever said the panels need to be installed where it snows heavily to be useful.
caritj.org
Show me where a corporation engaged in pure research, brought a product to market without government subsidy, and revolutionized the world.
*cough*Google search*/cough*