There are 245,000 miles of road in the UK[1], currently serving one purpose, to get us from A to B. What if we could change roads to give us the transport routes and electricity? This idea is being tested in America by Julia and Scott Bradshaw, with help from a $750,000 grant from the USA Federal Highway Commission. The panels, which are still in prototype stage, could in the long term generate renewable energy, for powering surrounding areas, as well providing smart road lighting, which warns you of danger and lights the road ahead.
The panels could be installed as pavements or roadways, are designed with heating elements built in, which would provide an effecting snow clearing and de-icing mechanism during the winter, this would be a great advantage for remote location.
The roads would use LEDs to act as road markings and dynamic signs, with the other layers of road acting as solar cells and conductors. Though the panels are still being tested, they could provide an ideal alternative to tarmac roads in the future, giving rural homes and business an off the grid power source.
There are many environmental benefits to this idea, including increased road safety, the use of landfill material to support the foundations of the road and the renewable energy which the panels would create, to ensure we reduce our reliance on oil and gas.
The trials will need to look into the different benefits and costs of the idea, with the issue that the road can’t be angled directly at the sunlight, like ordinary solar panels as well as looking at the installation costs and payback times, to look at whether the panels are feasible.
Videos of the solar road concept can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nvWTaqUvsfA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yi14nhBACEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ep4L18zOEYI
There are opinions, and I agree that the practicality of the panels would be difficult as roads aren’t flat and they would get dirty, so become less efficient. More research is needed into the durability and life cycle of the panels. The money could be invested into schemes to put solar panels on every roof instead, creating the same effect as the road by generating solar energy, a technology which is already mainstream and advanced.
However, I do feel that this is a concept worth looking out for in the future, as it has a huge potential not just to generate electricity but to increase road safety and further green logistics growth.
Sources
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8929/road-lengths-2010.pdf
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681562/solar-roads-charging-roads-and-the-future-of-transportation
