Solar roads are coming
Not sure where to post this,try here http://inhabitat.com/super-rugged-solar-roads-to-hit-four-continents-in-2017/
Forum Discussion
The problem with "heated" solar roadways to melt snow off is the power usage. The amount of sunlight throughout winter usually drops dramatically, reducing the available solar power. And heating requires a lot of energy.
Friends of mine live "off grid" in Vermont with a solar and generator powered house. Usually during the winter, with the combination of snow cover (which has to be cleaned off the solar panels) and especially the regular cloud cover, they need to run the generator more than use the solar.
But you know, as nevadanick posted, if the material those panels are made out of can actually stand up to heavy truck traffic more than asphalt, then even without the solar ability the cost savings of using the material would be worth it. And this is a BIG "if".
Friends of mine live "off grid" in Vermont with a solar and generator powered house. Usually during the winter, with the combination of snow cover (which has to be cleaned off the solar panels) and especially the regular cloud cover, they need to run the generator more than use the solar.
But you know, as nevadanick posted, if the material those panels are made out of can actually stand up to heavy truck traffic more than asphalt, then even without the solar ability the cost savings of using the material would be worth it. And this is a BIG "if".
