Solar Roads, Sidewalks, and Parking Lots

Here’s a project to keep an eye on – solar road panels that provide lit lane markings and energy to melt snow.

The inventors say the idea came from thinking about the black boxes used by airlines:

“Suppose we made a section of road out of this material and housed solar cells to collect energy, which could pay for the cost of the panel, thereby creating a road that would pay for itself over time. What if we added LEDs to “paint” the road lines from beneath, lighting up the road for safer night time driving? What if we added a heating element in the surface (like the defrosting wire in the rear window of our cars) to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates? The ideas and possibilities just continued to roll in and the Solar Roadway project was born.”

In 2009 they received Fedral Highway Administration funds for a test project, and in 2011 were awarded a two-year follow-up Phase II poject.

The inventors claim the roads can pay for themselves, that a modular system would be easier and less expensive to repair, and can be used with 250,000 pound trucks. The panels can also detect loads, making them good for sensing pedestrians in crossways.

They have issues to work out, and costs to calculate, but are pressing on and hoping to use it as a way to create American jobs.