Of all the sources of renewable energy, solar power generates the most attention. Perhaps it?s because the sun is such a powerful permanent fixture that we?re able to associate it with sustainability. Wind seems transient by nature and the sea is almost alien. Whatever the reason, solar power dominates the alternative energy market. One of the latest avenues to be explored has to do with transport. More specifically it has to do with solar powered roads.
Back in October 2009, Scientific American featured an article on a certain Mr Scott Brusaw who, with funding from the US Department of Transportation, was looking at various ways in which to make solar road panels. Brusaw is an electrical engineer by trade, but after being inspired by a throw-away comment from his wife decided to start Solar Roadways and build solar road panels made of glass.
The aim is to have the vast network of roads in the US generate enough energy to power the entire country and then some. But, at the time there were (and still are) two problems with the plan:
1) The cost would be enormous.
2) The type of glass required hasn?t been invented yet.
Brusaw remains undeterred. For the past two years or so he?s been busy building prototypes and testing current glass technology. Much of this time has been spent trying to balance maximum transparency (for solar absorption) with grip so that vehicles don?t slide off the road. He?s also been trying to justify funding. Many people believe that it would be simpler and cheaper to construct solar farms rather than embed solar technology into roadways.
For one thing, solar farms are already in existence and don?t require much in the way of research and development. Solar roads, on the other hand, are completely new. The R&D still needs funding, existing roads would have to be dug up and new ones laid and once that?s done it would be a major job to keep the technology current. Bursaw is adamant that the roads would pay for themselves but the payback period has been estimated at 20 years and it?s not unreasonable to expect technology to have advanced significantly in that time.
That?s not to say that the idea isn?t sound. Researchers from the University of Rhode Island are also looking at ways to harness solar energy from roads. According to Science Daily, the team has four possible solutions:
Wrap flexible solar cells around road barriers.Embed water pipes beneath the road to absorb solar energy. Heated water could then be piped to where it?s needed and used for a range of purposes.Embed thermo-electric material at different depths in roads and harness the electricity produced by the difference in temperature.Replace asphalt with solar power cells ? which is remarkably similar to Busaw?s idea.Science Daily has also reported on the Pavener Project, which is being run by Tecnalia and led by the Campezo Group. It aims to collect solar energy from asphalt surfaces via a system of fluid-filled pipes, which is similar to solution two from the Rhode Island research team.
So far it looks as though water-filled pipes are our best bet to take advantage of the untapped solar energy emanating from our roads. But that doesn?t mean we won?t soon be driving on solar powered glass.
Tags: Energy, PowerHouse, Roads, Solar ?
Source: http://news-society.co.cc/are-roads-a-solar-energy-power-house-2/
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