One of the things that is so exciting about the response to global climate change is the creative ideas for energy generation that seem to be popping up all over the world. I’ve blogged about a few of them (here, here, here, here, here and here) and have just come across another one, which proposes using solar roadways to generate electricity.
The US Department of Transportation has announced the award of a grant to Solar Roadways to prototype something called a solar road panel. Solar road panels are structurally-engineered solar panels that allow solar energy to be collected as well as driven on. They are designed to replace asphalt (from petroleum) surfaces. Solar road panels also embed LEDs which can communicate information to drivers, such as digital lines at night, and messages such as “wildlife ahead”. It is envisaged that the panels would include embedded heating elements to remove ice and snow in winter. The concept is an intelligent highway that not only uses electricity but can generate it. The benefits are replacing petroleum-based asphalt road and parking lot surfaces and generating enough electricity, for example, to recharge electric vehicles. It is estimated that five billion 12′ by 12′ solar road panels would cover the current asphalt surfaces in the US and produce three times as much power as is currently generated in the US. Thanks to Derrick Oswald for pointing me to this fascinating idea. (Image Solar Roadways)
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