by Dr Peter Harrop, IDTechEx
Solar roads are firmly on agendas in various parts of the world – Amsterdam, France and the USA, for example.
Published in:
Electricity+Control, April 2016 (pages 46 – 47)
Enquiries: Email research@IDTechEx.com
Installing photovoltaics in roads seems a daft idea at first. It sounds expensive and unlikely to work unless the surface is cleaned, free of snow and ice and in direct sunlight – all too infrequent in most places. Roads are constantly dug up by utilities, repairmen and others. How do you do that with sheets of glass?
Most of the associated problems are easily overcome. The United States start-up Solar Roadways has a modular system of specially engineered solar panels that can be driven upon but also carry cables. They contain LED lights to create lines and signage without paint and heating elements to prevent snow and ice accumulation. Microprocessors allow the panels to communicate with each other, a central control station, and vehicles. The glass has a tractioned surface which is equivalent to asphalt. So far they can only support the weight of semi-trucks but eventually these panels will be available for highways, but first will come non-critical applications such as driveways and parking lots.
Take note
• Moving to off-grid clean energy created by energy harvesting to produce electricity where it is needed is a trend of today.
• This is controllable, lower in cost, cleaner and more reliable.
• Problems associated with installing photovoltaics in roads can be overcome.
Read the full article on Solar roads find many uses in PDF format.
