Wow... Have You Guys Heard About Solar Roadways ??? [View All]

[WillyT]

Found out about it through FDL: http://firedoglake.com/2010/03/20/come-saturday-morning-here-comes-the-sun/



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To me, the idea is brilliant in that it solves several problems at one stroke. Instead of putting solar panels on thousands of square miles of wilderness or farmland or other land, why not take surfaces that are already paved and put them to work collecting solar energy, just in time for us to transition from oil to electric cars like the Chevy Volt? It also solves the issue of energy transmission loss rather nicely. One could use the roads to transmit energy from thousands of miles away, but why do that when the nearby roads, playgrounds and parking lots themselves can generate all the energy one needs without the losses inherent in long-distance transmission?

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More...


Solar Roadways named as finalist in most promising renewable energy award

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Solar Roadways is a company with a single purpose: to replace our nation’s deteriorating highway infrastructure and crumbling power grid with an intelligent highway system that pays for itself through the generation of electricity and doubles as an intelligent, self-healing, decentralized power grid. The Solar Roadway is made of structurally engineered solar panels that are driven upon. These Solar Road Panels contain LEDs for painting the road lines from beneath the surface, a heating element to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates, and a microprocessor board for control and communications.

“We’ve just completed our first prototype Solar Road Panel with funding from a US Department of Transportation Phase I SBIR contract. Phase II involves a commercialization plan to begin the manufacturing process.” said Scott Brusaw, President and CEO of Solar Roadways. A video demonstration of the prototype can be seen on the Solar Roadways website.

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Link: http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/paginas/Contenidosecciones.asp?ID=15&Cod=5084&Tipo=&Nombre=PV%20Solar%20News

Company Website: http://www.solarroadways.com/main.html

Company Website without Flash Presentation: http://solarroadways.com/intro.html

:wow: