Solar-Powered Roadways to Produce Energy, Stability and Financial Viability-

Solar Roadways, an Idaho-based company, was recently granted $100,000 from the Department of Transportation to produce a prototype for their solar powered roadway initiative. The scheme involves structurally-engineered solar panels which are able to be driven upon, and is designed with three strategic layers: the base-plate layer, which will utilize a series of cables to transmit power & data signals; the electronics layer will hold the solar collecting & storage cells, as well as led strip lights which will function like the road paint currently on streets; and the surface layer, which will be comprised of glass texture to provide traction equal to that of asphalt. The solar roadways will also include built-in heaters to help reduce the wearisome task of plowing roads during harsh winter months. Each 12 x 12 ft panel is capable of generating 7.6 kilowatt hours of energy daily, based on 15 percent efficiency and at least four hours of sunlight per day. According to their website, the United States presently has 25,000 square miles of roads and highways; if these were to be swapped with Solar Roadways, they would generate three times the United States’ current electricity consumption – or basically the entire globe’s annual expenditure. Even panels never exposed to daylight are able to store energy collected by nearby panels that are in direct sunlight – allowing them to be installed under tunnels, bridges and other by-ways. The company plans on constructing their roads comparable to the cost of asphalt and has estimated the solar roadway lifespan to be 21 years, or three times what asphalt currently offers. Solar LED lighting as a replacement for standard road paint will also establish much safer driving conditions during night hours, particularly in areas where paint is worn down and illumination markers do not exist. One disadvantage, as there usually are a few, is the ineffectiveness of the panels when roadways are clogged with traffic. The company claims the inefficacy to be negligible, as there are still spaces between cars where the panels would be capable of soaking up radiation. Yet another drawback is the price tag associated with the project, as each panel costs about $7,000. However, the paramount benefits to implementing solar-powered roadways entirely overshadow any obstacles and if government administrations are prepared to undertake such a considerable development, America may finally be on track for the stable, sustainable future most hope for.