Solar powered glass roads with built in LED's

[Regulator75]

Pretty cool concept.



http://www.dvice.com/2014-4-28/solar...ur-roads-glass

When you think of solar power, likely the image that pops to mind is one of arrays of delicate, glittering roof-mounted panels made of silicon. If we were to tell you that a family from Idaho had it in their heads that it would be a good idea for us all to be driving around on solar panels, you might think they were off their nut. If, on the other hand, you knew that the U.S. department of transportation gave the project $100,000 back in 2009, it might inspire a little bit more confidence in what seems like a crazy idea.

For the last five years, Julie and Scott Brusaw have been fine-tuning their solar roadway concept. First, they textured a super-durable glass roadway surface to give it the same kind of grip that cars get from asphalt. Then, they added LEDs beneath the glass to create light-up lane lines (since you can't paint a solar panel without making it useless). They even made the panels self-heating so that they won't freeze during inclement weather, and will also prevent ice from forming on the road surface.

[octothorp]

Seems really, really, really cost prohibitive, but yeah, cool concept.

[Azure]

Hard to believe that it won't cost a fortune.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Super cool. Is this the same stuff that is built from recycled material? So many reasons to say yes to it.

[redforever]

I doubt this is a feasible idea in Canada where our winters routinely wreak havoc on roads.

[OutOfTheCube]

Cool, yes. Practical, no. There's no way this doesn't cost an extraordinary amount more than a normal road.

[Mass_nerder]

I read about this 4-5 years ago and thought it was a really cool idea. Glad to see that it's still being worked on/talked about.

[pylon]

LOL.

A 3 foot by 1.5 foot solar panel costs about 160 bucks to buy. You think the SW Ring Road extension is expensive now, wait until it is built with an LED solar panel road at a cost of 4 trillion dollars.

A major accident damages the road, and your insurance company is sued for 3 million dollars to repair the road.

We will have flying cars before we get this.

[getbak]

Here's the story from 2011: http://www.dvice.com/archives/2011/0...-takes-ano.php

It says that a 12' x 12' panel costs $6,900. A single lane of highway is 12 feet wide, and a mile is 5,280 feet long. That means it would take 440 panels for just one mile of one lane of highway, which would cost a little over $3 million.

A four lane highway would be more than $12 million per mile just for the road panels. Presumably, installation would be on top of that.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Every new tech is expensive. This is something to be embraced and optimistic about.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Self heating panels are going to stop Alberta snowstorms from piling up? Questionable.

Wonder how the glass surface stands up to plows

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jahrmes

Self heating panels are going to stop Alberta snowstorms from piling up? Questionable.

Wonder how the glass surface stands up to plows

and heaving when the frost comes out of the ground.

[JD]

Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest

Every new tech is expensive. This is something to be embraced and optimistic about.

But why? What feature does this offer that is worth the thousands of percentage points more cost than a plain asphalt highway? The signage is presented in a cooler way? The road is smoother? It's not like this is more environmentally friendly. I guess with LED's you can change traffic patterns with the click of a mouse.

Yeah new technologies are expensive when you make full quantum leaps forward like this. But the way new technologies are effectively introduced is by sprinkling in economical bits little by little. Kind of like how mobile phones are done. Twenty years ago Apple knew exactly the kind of phone they WANTED to release, but the technology was either costly or unavailable. Instead, they release a new version with every generation and in each case they come closer and closer to their ideal vision of what an iPhone should be.

[Wormius]

This makes me wonder about what would be the problem of using metal grates for roads rather than standard paving.

Pros: no potholes, easily replaced, no pooling of water.
Cons: cost, slippery, durability?

Anyway, despite the cost prohibitive nature of the roads suggested in the OP's post, they should be encouraged, even if just on a trial basis. Can always learn something from it.

edit: that sounded crazy when written out.

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by JD

But why? What feature does this offer that is worth the thousands of percentage points more cost than a plain asphalt highway? The signage is presented in a cooler way? The road is smoother? It's not like this is more environmentally friendly. I guess with LED's you can change traffic patterns with the click of a mouse.

Yeah new technologies are expensive when you make full quantum leaps forward like this. But the way new technologies are effectively introduced is by sprinkling in economical bits little by little. Kind of like how mobile phones are done. Twenty years ago Apple knew exactly the kind of phone they WANTED to release, but the technology was either costly or unavailable. Instead, they release a new version with every generation and in each case they come closer and closer to their ideal vision of what an iPhone should be.

They're solar panels. They generate electricity that can go back into the grid. According to the article " a four-lane, one-mile stretch of road with panels could generate enough power for 500 homes."

There's also the possibility of using the electricity generated by the road to re-charge electric/hybrid autos while they drive.http://www.dvice.com/archives/2011/0...ess-car-ch.php

Obviously like others have stated the technology isn't really there at this point to make it economically feasible. That doesn't mean that these sorts of concepts aren't worth pursuing.

[Northendzone]

All hail the mighty rod

[strombad]

Cool idea.
It's too bad a lot of neat ideas just don't work in the Canadian climate. Not saying this absolutely wouldn't, but we have huge problems as it is.

Around Nashville they have reflective strips in the road so that they save money by not having to have street lights. It works incredibly. Doesn't work here though because of plowing the roads. Such a simple and effective concept made impossible thanks to stupid snow.

[Swift]

That picture makes it look like it's made from Lego.

[Clarkey]

This is why I'm glad KXL approval was delayed, we need to stop relying on fossil fuels, solar is the way of the future, we need to start using electric cars and be less reliant on non-renewable energy sources.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

This is why I'm glad KXL approval was delayed, we need to stop relying on fossil fuels, solar is the way of the future, we need to start using electric cars and be less reliant on non-renewable energy sources.

Kxl delay won't do a thing to help cars run on rainbows and smiles. It just means that more trucks and railcards will move oil around.