A company called Solar Roadways managed to come up with a prototype of its Solar Road Panel, a device that generates electricity by making use of solar energy. The Panel is made of solar cells and glass and the company hopes one day to replace the asphalt roads with its latest invention.
It is worth mentioning that the company presented its prototype six months after receiving $100,000 from the US Department of Transportation.
Solar Roadways made each solar panel weatherproof, featuring a number of layers, including a transparent road surface layer, an electronics layer with LEDs and solar cells, and a base plate layer used to convey electricity to buildings connected to the roadway.
Probably the biggest advantage of these road panels is that they are self-heating, meaning that neither snow nor ice will gather on their top. The company's latest invention, if applied on a big scale, can significantly contribute to the environment, reducing the level of greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 50 percent.
However, replacing asphalt roads with solar road panels is a thing of the future, since in order to achieve the goal, the government will have to eliminate the "old school" roads, which is rather costly and could affect the environment. It is more likely that the new type of roads would complement the old type.
No comments:
Post a Comment