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In spite of the problems with roadways, the concept has some potential in other areas

Bumps in Solar Roadways



Solar Roadways Incorporated is a start-up company in Sandpoint, Idaho aiming to develop solar powered road panels to form a smart highway. (1) The company is an internet phenomenon which raised over $2 million in crowd funding. They have an attractive marketing campaign and make compelling arguments for their technology. The project is based on PV modules made of cells and a cover glass about a centimeter thick. (2)
First, some words on crowd funding. Indiegogo is an international crowdfunding website founded in 2008. The site is oen of the first to offer crowd funding. Indiegogo allows people to solicit funds for ideas, charity, or start -up businesses. Indiegogo charges a 5% fee on contributions. This charge is in addition to credit card and PayPal charges that range from 3.5% to 9%. (3) The site's market is anyone who has an idea and wants to raise funds to finance their goal. Fifteen million people from all around the world visit the site on a monthly basis. Solar Roadways is one of the most successful crowd funding campaigns on the Indiegogo platform ever. (4) The Solar Roadway plan is to replace the repaving of a rod with some sort of processing that will leave it in a condition to accept hexagonal solar panels and their associated wiring and networking needs. The current state of the design appears to depend on the placement of a one foot square grid of large bolts in the roadway. (5) The proof of concept technology combines a transport driving surface with underlying solar cells, electronics and sensors to act as a solar array with programmable capability. The road panels are to be made from recycled materials and incorporate photovoltaic cells. The project has receive criticism in regards to its feasibility. (1) Some scientists criticized the scheme since panels on roads wouldn't be tilted to follow the sun, which makes then inefficient, would often be covered by cars during periods when the sun is out, and wouldn't be capable of serving as a road for long.

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Shading is a major issue in photovoltaics. A single pole—an antenna, for instance, casting a shadow across an array can ruin its output. The last thing you want to do is put PV panels under your car. (4) Recent results support some of this criticism. Despite the massive internet hype, the prototype of the solar road can't be driven on, hasn't generated any electricity and 75 percent of the panels were broken before they were even installed. Of the panels installed, to make a 'solar footpath', 18 of the 30 were dead on arrival due to a manufacturing failure. A short rain shower caused another four panels to fail, and only five panels appear to be presently functional. The prototype appears to be plagued by drainage issues, poor manufacturing controls and fundamental design flaws. (2) In spite of the problems with roadways, the concept has some potential in other areas. The technology has already been used on bike paths and there are possible benefits for home driveways. Most cars are kept at work during the daylight hours, and the lighting, heating, and sensor features can all be used to further the smart home of the future. (4)

References
  • “Solar Roadways,” en.wikipedia.org, October 23, 2016
  • Andre Follett, “Solar road is a total and epic failure, 83% of its panels break in a week,” cfact.org, October 19, 2016
  • “Indiegogo,” en.wikipedia.org, September 26, 2016
  • Craig Morris, “Solar roadways needs to be stopped,” renewablesinternational.net/solar, March 6, 2014
  • David Forbes, “Why the solar roadway is a terrible idea,” jalopnik.com, May 30, 2014


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Jack Dini -- Bio and Archives

Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology.  He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.


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