Solar Roadways: The Prototype
Help Solar Roadways win the GE Ecomagination Home prize with your vote: challenge.ecomagination.com The Solar Roadways project is working to pave roads with solar panels that you can drive on. Co-founder Scott Brusaw has made some major steps forward since our first visit back in 2007, so we visited him again earlier this year for an exclusive update on the project, including the first ever video recorded of the Solar Roadways prototype! For more information visit www.solarroadways.com . This Solar Roadway project will be featured in the upcoming feature film by YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip. To learn more about YERT, visit http . And you can become a fan of YERT on Facebook here: www.facebook.com
Solar Roadways: The Prototype
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There’s only about two hours left to vote for Solar Roadways in the Ecomagination Challenge
Voted for your project I’m # 500
Great idea and a really good project to help get us out of the nightmare we currently find ourselves in.
Maybe some of you might be interest in my featured video, if you haven’t seen in already.
Keep up the great work.
Glass is a pretty energy intensive material (awesome material, but energy intensive) and 15% efficiency in PVs is a WAY high number to aim for given that roads mostly lay flat and so almost never have a good angle on the sun. PVs like a low incidence angle. Plus, with all the the LEDs in the roadway (and white, low efficiency ones at that) they’ll have a long way to go to pay for their energy inputs let alone their installation costs. no?
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why not also power the cars through the road. that way it would be able to put an poweroutput in different areas for example near by a school you would not be able to drive fast enough to hurt anyone.
But, how much would it cost? Would the initial cost and the maintenance be worth the long-term investment? The panels are perfectly flat. So, how would place them on an incline or decline. It’s a cool idea, I just don’t think it is a practicle one.
But, how much would it cost? Would the initial cost and the maintenance be worth the long-term investment? The panels are perfectly flat. So, how would place them on an incline or decline. It’s a cool idea, I just don’t think it is a practicle one.
I want this technology replacing every single road in this country now!!! Atleast, that’s what our government should be saying and backing financially.
@YERTians
they would need to make a drainage system though… if glass was slippery before, imagine when wet
maybs they can use the water as well?
The use of trash is really fantastic. The idea of using solar power for roadways and homes AND making a use of waste is fantastic.
We need to only do projects that pay for themselves so this needs to be sold to private. If this is actually economically justified it will pay for itself via the electic bill. So, get Goggle’s attention!!! Goggle loves this kind of project. However we really need fosil fuel cost to be where they should be and that is at the cost that Europe pays. Talk google into a small scale project in and around some small town in America! Great idea if cost justified.
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@manof1000voices yeah, I agree that it’s not a good idea at the moment. The economy is too weak to handle a project this big. I like the idea. I see promise in this. Just not now. Maybe in the next 10-20 years when materials are cheaper.
@MrEnergyCzar What do you mean by this comment, the numbers does seem to tally as explained in the site as well as this video.. couldn’t get your point, do explain.
will the roads be able to support military crafts as well (tanks etc)? the original highway system was designed to be effective for any potential homeland security issues
so, how well would it hold up to people doing burnouts on it?
@ColdZer04 Because he’s trying to solve a “problem” we have by coming up with an idea that’s even more expensive than the first, he’s trying to combat a resource and energy crisis, but wants to put halogen lights underneath every stretch of road? despite the fact that glass can be as strong as steel, that means that production for these roads will be even more costly than mixing hot tar and rocks, and everything wears down over time, asphalt crumbles, but glass will splinter and pop tires,
@manof1000voices Why?
This solar roadway concept is a great idea, may have future application in areas with open roadways and abundant sunshine. perhaps integrate snow melting technologies into the panels for areas of the country or world that have snow. glass has been used for all kind of applications, making it strong enough for roadways shouldn’t be too hard of a task. expansion, contraction, glare, heat built-up, traction are some of the issues which can be resolve. I can see plug in stations for electric cars.
The idea certainly has appeal. I like the idea of the hard shoulder being used instead of the driving surface. However, besides the question of how to prevent skidding on the smooth surface, give a thought to the massive amounts of raw materials that the panels would require. The tonnage of copper would be huge, cobalt, silver and all the other precious resources. Then there is the question of the toxic chemicals used in their production, What about recycling at the end of their working life?
@TheSolarRoadways That’s awesome, I love you guys. These are the sort of ideas that make the world a better place
I question how strong these could really be, and what would happen with crash divots, vehicle fires, etc. Repairs would be more costly and time-delaying than dumping on new asphalt. Waiting is bad enough as-is.
“Solarizing” only selected stretches of road makes more sense; maybe that’s the master plan for this. Or, just cover road shoulder areas vs. actual driving surfaces. Much less wear that way.
Regardless, this seems a lot better than defacing the land with more and more wind turbines.
Awesome idea I want one in my driveway, my walkway, my roof and as a floor in my house
Another feat of engineering that would help wean us from the coal and oil addiction. But like the MagLev railway, like fusion power, it will never see the light of day until we as a human race are pushed to the edge of survival and are forced to use alternative energy. We’ll never adapt these technologies now, when we should, before we reach the precipice.
This is a good idea as well!!!!