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It would be common to think that a road which aids in more than 1 task, like generate power to all the surrounding community is beyond our time. But No! – The Solar Roadways Team has proven that this is a reality for today! A ready and immediate solution to provide a drastic reversal of our environmental impact beyond measure, here is why

1) Solar Freakin’ Panels!

There is currently an estimated 31,000 square miles of asphalt spread across America, and it grows by millions of acres every year. If the asphalt roads & parking lots are turned into Solar Roadways using the Sunpower Labs E18 series panels it would produce a little over 21,000 billion Kilowatts per year (assuming 4 hours of sun per day).

After building the 1st prototype of the Solar Roadways another calculation was done using the actual data accumulated during the months of January and February -the two harshest winter months- in Northern Idaho. Even though these conditions were less ideal (less sun in a day) the results showed that using Prototype1 as a sample; would still produce over 13,000 Billion Kilowatts per year – that’s over 3x More than the United States consumes.

for all the numbers & references click –> here 

2) Durability

When people hear and see Solar Roadways they think that perhaps those delicate looking glass hexagonal disks will break when driven over by massive construction and transportation vehicles… wrong! When constructing  the Solar Roadways, the same concern came to the minds of Scott and Julie, their solution
“why not make it out of the same thing that Black Boxes on airplanes are made of… [they’re virtually indestructible]”

3) Made From Recycled Material

When Scott & Julie began consulting a materials’ expert on the idea of making the Solar Roadways out of the same stuff Black Boxes are made of, they asked the next obvious question “Can it be made out of recyclable material?” to all of our delight he said “of course” :)

Trash bags, water bottles, rubber tires and other plastics can be mixed with organic materials to create the Solar Road Panels!

What better way to “kill two birds with one stone” than to give the garbage that sits in our landfills and oceans a new home inside the very panels that can power our world?

4) Snow & Ice Free

Nations that experience winter know and feel the pain of paying Billions in tax dollars to remove snowy roads every year. Studded tires, snow chains and all the heavy vehicles used for removal of snow wreck havoc on asphalt roads every year, which require repair every spring. The accidents which occur are also a detriment.

A Solar Roadway (or parking lot or driveway) changes all of that. The roads in northern climates heat themselves with their embedded heating elements (similar to the rear window of a car but more effective), eliminating ice and snow buildup and reducing: shovelling, insurance costs, expensive snow removal and harsh chemicals used to prevent ice.

5) Traction Like No Other Road

Many cringe at the idea of driving fast on wet glass, it would be slippery, right? Nope, they covered that too. Inspired by the textured roads in airport tarmacs; the 2nd phase Solar Roadway has been designed and tested (by a university civil engineering lab) to go beyond the requirements of stopping a car at 80mph on dry and wet surface.

5) LEDs Are Gonna Look Super Cool

There is no need to expend energy lighting desolate roads when no cars are traveling, so the intelligent roadway will tell the LEDs to light up only when it senses cars on its surface – say 1/2 mile ahead and 1/4 mile behind the vehicle as it travels. This way, drivers will know an oncoming car is ahead when they see the lights on the other side of the road begin to light up ahead.

The LEDs will also be used to paint words right into the road, warning drivers of an animal on the road, a detour ahead, an accident, or construction work. Central control stations will be able to instantly customize the lines and words in real time, alleviating traffic congestion and making the roads more efficient as well as safer.

 

6) No More Wires In The Air

Conduits running along side the Solar Roadways will provide additional revenue for their construction and maintenance by leasing the conduit (a cable corridor) to service providers such as the telephone, cable TV, and high-speed internet industries.

This can drastically replace the need for telephone poles and hanging wires which can be wrecked by storms falling on homes, streets or cars and causing power outages.

7) Collects – Filters – Delegates Water

Another channel in the conduits will be used to capture rain water and melted snow, filtering it on site or sending it through an on-site treatment facility. Once treated, the clean water is then pumped through a similar system along the Solar Roadway to the desired locations such as agricultural centers and aquifers. This will greatly decrease the amount of pollution in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans.

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