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Solar Roadways - Working prototype and pictures!

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PopSmith

Saving for a Model 3
Jan 22, 2010
609
5
Utah
I was browsing around and noticed that Solar Roadways has developed it's first prototype panel. For those that don't know about it the company is hoping to replace asphalt, which uses lots of oil to make, is expensive to maintain and repair, and only lasts ~7 years, with something made with more modern day technology.

Basically their idea is a solar panel that can be driven on. It is heated (no more salt, sand etc. in the winter!) and contains LEDs so they don't even have to paint the road.

The power from the solar panels can be to used power homes, and possibly entire cites or states, using the energy gathered from by the solar panel. This would greatly reduce the amount of new power plants and make power interruptions less and less frequent.

Solar Roadways - News!

Sorry I couldn't quite get the image thing figured out. :rolleyes:

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I just have to think they they would get covered with grime and worn down with use. Road surfaces need a lot of maintenance and they are made of very durable materials.
 
Along the side of the road and over parking lots makes more sense to me.

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Might as well make some shade in a sunny place.
 
A very interesting idea, and I am all for it. The key will be to overcome the naysayers and disbelievers, just as Tesla has to do.

I do agree that the durability factor has to be addressed, and from reading their website, they needed more funds to construct one from a durable sheet of special glass material.

Interesting subject.
 
Asphalt makes a good surface for strong braking with rubber tires.
I wouldn't want to have to make a panic stop on glass in the rain.

If you check out their website, specifically their FAQ, they say that the "glass" they are developing actually provides as good, if not better, traction than asphalt even when it is wet. The material is also hydrophilic so it would clean itself when it does get wet.

Rest assured problems such as traction in the rain, what happens when someone with a blow out continues to skid along the roadway for a quarter mile and other problems are probably just a drop in the bucket of tests the DOT is going to conduct on the panels before they start to replace our current roads with these.

I do agree that it's going to take a lot of hard work to get people over the "you want me to drive on glass?!?" fear. But, as waltoninn mentioned, Tesla is working to get rid of the range anxiety "issue", as well as the "I might get electrocuted" fear, that people bring up when talking about driving a pure electric vehicle.

To quote their FAQ on the traction issue:
What are you going to do about traction? Cars slip and slide on wet asphalt, let alone wet glass. What's going to happen to the surface of the Solar Roadways when it rains?

Everyone naturally pictures sliding out of control on a smooth piece of wet glass! Actually, one of the many technical specs for the top layer is that it be textured to the point that it provides at least the traction that current asphalt roads offer - even in the rain. I hesitate to even call it glass, as it is far from a traditional window pane, but glass is what it is, so glass is what we must call it.

Last year, I attended a three day workshop called the International Workshop on Scientific Challenges for New Functionalities in Glass in Arlington, Virginia. I received quite an education in the properties and abilities of glass! I presented the Solar Roadways to an international audience of glass scientists. Afterward, I was invited to travel north and present our project to Penn State University's Materials Research Institute. I had lunch with several of their research scientists after my presentation. By the end of this trip, I had been thoroughly convinced that the glass specs that I had presented would not pose any problems.

They also have a FAQ on the cleaning properties and other questions, I don't want to quote them as my post would then take up an entire page. Check out their FAQ for more info.
 
Congratulations to Solar Roadways on winning that Challenge. It looks like they are also eligible for another $100,000 "prize" and funding up to $200 million from GE next month.

http://commerce.idaho.gov/news/2010...lar-votes-in-ges-ecomagination-challenge.aspx

As for their "product", I think the best beginning for them is going to be parking lots as well. Most of them probably sit empty for hours with good sun exposure. Even a full lot is going to have exposed areas between parking spots and sections, these could be used to generate electricity. If they can get the panels to successfully work in a parking lot they can move up to bigger, better things from there.