Are Solar Roadways Viable Technologies for the Future?
Solar roadway refers to road surfaces that are capable of generating electricity through photovoltaic solar power cells (Aggrawal, Mehta and Tiwari 161). One of the existing proposals involves the use of panels that encompass LED signage as well as solar panels that vehicles can be driven on. It is a concept that requires the replacement of roads, highways, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots with the panels. The layers embedded with LED can be utilized for creating crosswalks and traffic warnings (Hartwig 1). Extra electricity can be used for charging electric vehicles or can be routed into the power grid. Solar roadway’s electrical components will be embedded between layers of highly textured and durable glass. According to Hartwig, Solar roadways encompass a series of solar panels that are structurally engineered to be driven upon (1). However, the opponents and skeptics of the solar roadway concept question whether it is really a good idea or not.
Is Solar Roadway a Practical Concept?
Solar roadways involve building structurally engineered solar panels that people can drive on (Kulkarni 1430). It involves interlinking panels to create a road system. The roadways are meant to replace the petroleum-based asphalt highways. The solar panels can use their power for lighting up the LEDS beneath the surface of the roads (Kulkarni 1431).
For solar roadways to work successfully, they require three components to work together. A street floor layer should be designed in such a manner that allows sunlight to pass through to the electronic layers. On the other hand, the electricity layer serves the purpose of accumulating electricity while ensuring the proper functioning of the roads. Base-plate layers help in determining the distribution of strength.
Cloudy days will present a challenge for the proper functioning of solar roadshows. The cloudy situation will result in the inefficiency of solar power technologies. Most of the existing solar panels are only capable of converting around 14% of available energy to electrical power. During days or seasons when the sunlight will be unavailable, such as long winters that affect various parts of the nation, it is a situation that raises fundamental questions regarding where power come from during such seasons. Based on such uncertainties, skeptics maintain that solar energy is unreliable.
What Are the Financial Implications?
Supporters of the solar roadway concept argue that the intelligent roads will be capable of paying for themselves through the generation of electricity. The solar roadways can generate electricity from the sun’s power, and they serve as intelligent and decentralized power grids (Hartwig 4). In this way, roadways can replace the existing power distribution infrastructures. The power generated via the roadway can be distributed to homes and businesses connected to the system through their driveways and parking lots. However, critics maintain that solar roadway plans will be difficult to implement because building a single panel requires nearly $7000. Furthermore, implementing the project on a mega-scale requires billions of solar panels. Therefore, installations would require large amounts of money and time (Aggrawal, Mehta, and Tiwari 162). The crew that will be involved in maintaining the roadway must be trained properly, and such training cost huge amounts of money. As a result, such an undertaking may take many years before the amount of money spent on the project can be recouped through the sale of electricity generated by the solar panels.
The cost of repairs and maintenance should also be considered. Repairing solar panels is likely to be more costly than repairing ordinary asphalt roads (Aggrawal, Mehta and Tiwari 162). Companies that are proposing and supporting the construction of solar roadways maintain that self-cleaning glass can be used to keep the panel surfaces clear of grime and dirt. However, it is an unproven process.
Are There Other Benefits Associated With Solar Roadways?
The built-in smart electricity grid is one of the major benefits associated with the solar roadway projects. The other benefits include the creation of new job and investment opportunities as well as economic benefits associated with the global leadership in constructing an advanced clean energy road infrastructure. It is a system that can potentially generate enough electricity to cover the cost of construction and maintenance. Additionally, the solar roadways can pay dividends that can increase revenues to the public budget, thereby making the government’s spending on road infrastructure more efficient. Besides, the cost of electricity that is passed on to businesses and consumers can also be reduced significantly. The construction of solar roadways can lead to reduced costs for the electric car industry. The potential environmental benefits of solar roadways are immense (Aggrawal, Mehta and Tiwari 1). A country or state that builds a solar roadway system significantly reduces its carbon footprint, thereby curbing the problems of global warming and climate change. The new technology can also replace the fossil fuel system effectively.
In sum, humanity is feeling the effects of climate change and the consequences are driving individuals and nations to think of different innovative solutions and methods to deal with the changes. Humans are turning to technology to help them deal with the challenges presented by climate change. The smart solar roadway is an idea that is gaining prominence among environmentalists and pro-climate scientists. Such roads can dramatically change the way people live. Most proponents of the solar roadways maintain that the technology can be used to solve various challenges that are confronting individuals in contemporary societies. While the idea of solar roadways sounds brilliant, skeptics maintain that it is unrealistic and impractical. They maintain that constructing solar roadways in costly and time-consuming; therefore, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
Works Cited
Aggrawal, Neha. , Mehta1Ayushi, and Tiwari, Anjali. Solar Roadways-The Future of Roadways. May, 1, 2015. Web. Jan 26, 2017.
Hartwig, Brad. Solar Roadways: The Future We’ve Been Looking For. 2014 .Web. Jan 26, 2017.
Kulkarni, Alark . Solar Roadways” – Rebuilding our Infrastructure and Economy. Jun 2013. Web. Jan 26, 2017.
