Solar roads are coming

Maybe this is the answer to pot-holes!

Won't work in Indiana though. 2 days after they lay the new road, Indiana will be digging it back up for some unknown reason then leave a row of orange cones out for a year and maybe, some day come back to fix the area they dug up. Well... maybe! More than likely, in Indiana, they'd disconnect the wiring to that section they dug up and bring down the entire electric grid! I can see it happening here. Indiana just loves to dig holes!

And I thought Canada had the market cornered on digging up new roads!
:B

If it proves cost effective and durable this new road surface could be a win-win solution.
Also noted in the article is the solar roof shingles to be available soon from Tesla/Solar City.

ought to put lots of people to work keeping them clean.

Sounds like a great idea for a tech company trying to win an award or procure some grant money.
Sounds like a completely terrible idea as a practical road building method.

Interesting, but the more I've read about those "solar roadways", the less excited I am about them. The amount of abuse roads take requires the heavy duty plastic / glass panels, which are expensive to buy, and expensive to replace.

The will get dirty almost instantly, which would require regular cleaning - somehow. Replacement of the panels? Seems it would be more than just putting down an asphalt patch. And... you have to buy replacement panels, which again the cost just keeps popping up.

Wiring and controls have to be buried alongside the roadway, increasing cost of installation.

Maybe they will work... but seems to be more negatives than positives.

I am waiting for the solar panel roofing shingles - when they figure those out (less expensive, easy to install and replace when needed), that will be a great thing!

The most reasonable use I've seen for those is sidewalks and patios... I'm really skeptical about their longevity on roads, especially in northern areas - salt and electronics is usually a really bad combination.

The solar shingles though are very interesting. By the time I need a roof that technology should be proven out (or not :) ).

I wonder how the roads will hold up to a snow plow scraping that heavy blade along the surface and pushing heavy, wet snow?

In theory, with heating elements incorporated within the system, there should never be a need for road salt and snow should melt as it comes down. One of my friends has a heated driveway that stays clear all winter but that is on a small scale. Blowing snow during storms would likely still need plowing.

Sure be interesting to see how it all pans out.

PghBob wrote:
I wonder how the roads will hold up to a snow plow scraping that heavy blade along the surface and pushing heavy, wet snow?

And the associated dump trucks spreading salt along the solar roadway.
The effect of such sand and salt mixtures over the years.