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Solar Roadways: Can this be the solution for Energy woes??

Created by : Shikha Malhotra, Product Development Manager, Reliance Petroleum  | 08 05 2010 09:37:42 +0000
Industry : PowerFunctional Area : R&D(Operations)
Keywords : renewable energy solar energy solar power fossil fuel non renewable energy energy woes solar roadways solar powered roads
Activity:  437 views;  last activity : 11 22 2011 08:02:30 +0000

If you want to change the world, you have to think big. Say what you want about the feasibility of Scott Brusaw’s idea to replace asphalt roads with miles of solar ribbons that cars and trucks can drive on, it is a very ambitious idea. Brusaw is the co-founder and CEO of Solar Roadways, a bootstrapped startup in Idaho. He is an engineer, and is building prototypes of solar panels that could be used as roads.

Brusaw wants to create solar panels strong enough to support the weight of cars and trucks driving at 80 miles per hour. There is so much road surface in America, that the collected energy could replace other forms of fossil fuel energy, even with really inefficient solar panels. Even better, since roads go to each home and business, the roads themselves would not only collect the energy, but distribute it. The energy wouldn’t power cars themselves, except maybe electric vehicles juicing up at roadside charging stations. LEDs could be built into the roadways and used as signs. The concept is explained in the video below.

Brusaw answers with some numbers. “We’re still in the prototyping stages,” he says Brusaw, “so we haven’t manufactured anything yet. Our target price is $10K per panel.” Each panel is 12′ X 12′, so it would take 440 panels for each mile of single-lane road. That is $4.4 million per mile, which he figures will produce enough electricity (7600 watt-hours per day) to power 428 homes. He thinks the payback period would be 20 years, and would drop significantly with manufacturing scale.

So, what do you think people can this be a solution for our energy woes?

 

  
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Top Argument
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Very much possible, 12-15% Efficient Solar Panel available at very Low Cost, say Rs 50/- per Watt, I have all the Expertise for a Fee
By AJAY KUMAR KHAITAN, Consultant  08 16 2011 11:43:27 +0000
 
Top Argument
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This solution can work for us, but why to build the road with solar panel instead I will put the solar panel on all the roof or empty area.

Praveen
By Praveen varma, Sr Manager, Reliance Industries  08 05 2010 14:53:16 +0000
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this can be the best way to implement the solar roadways project at this moment of energy crisis.....
By Arijit Modak, B.Tech/B.E. student, Techno India, Salt Lake  | 11 22 2011 08:02:28 +0000
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maybe we can implement the solar energy in the lines of the implementation of the geothermal energy in the Iceland...we can produce something else[like hydrogen] by the electricity produced by the solar power and use it for power generation...
By Arijit Modak, B.Tech/B.E. student, Techno India, Salt Lake  | 11 21 2011 07:22:47 +0000
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I HAVE THE EXPERTISE OF SOLAR PHOTO VOLTAIC CELLS FROM TECHNOLOGY TO MANUFACTURING TO MARKETING

Interested People can Contact me: Email: microwonder@gmail.com
By AJAY KUMAR KHAITAN, Consultant  | 08 17 2011 06:24:50 +0000
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While the idea is too futuristic to be successful, a better idea may be to have solar panels on roof of the trains. The vast network of railway trains criss-crossing the length and breadth of India may well be a perfect starting point. The footpaths in the cities and towns also could be covered with shelters whose roofs could then be covered with PV panels and grid connected. This will serve the dual purpose of providing shelter during summer, monsoon and also generating solar power.
By S.Chandrasekhar , DGM  | 08 15 2011 11:39:57 +0000
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yes it will help .. but who will do it ?? why will they act on some thing which has no expenditure on govt ??? if it is good to go also .. People here or ready for other scam ... Not feasible !!! hope u got that !!
By Ram Charan, Analyst, Wipro Ltd  | 01 17 2011 17:34:19 +0000
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That could be one thing that could breathe fresh life to solar Industry especially in India and in India I think this dream is realizable within next two decades to come, but the policy level scams and the present political situation is one that worries me a lot. What ever the technology is very promising and the policy scams will be taken over by the increasing no of participants in the industry and the scalability that solar power can have which is one of its major advantages.
By Uma Rama Linga Murthy M, Marketing Executive, RenewAbility  | 01 17 2011 15:29:57 +0000
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That could be one thing that could breathe fresh life to solar Industry especially in India and in India I think this dream is realizable within next two decades to come, but the policy level scams and the present political situation is one that worries me a lot. What ever the technology is very promising and the policy scams will be taken over by the increasing no of participants in the industry and the scalability that solar power can have which is one of its major advantages.
By Uma Rama Linga Murthy M, Marketing Executive, RenewAbility  | 01 17 2011 15:29:19 +0000
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That could be one thing that could breathe fresh life to solar Industry especially in India and in India I think this dream is realizable within next two decades to come, but the policy level scams and the present political situation is one that worries me a lot. What ever the technology is very promising and the policy scams will be taken over by the increasing no of participants in the industry and the scalability that solar power can have which is one of its major advantages.
By Uma Rama Linga Murthy M, Marketing Executive, RenewAbility  | 01 17 2011 15:28:02 +0000
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why only roads. solar power generation should be made in mass scale and cost brought down for installations.
By S.SUBASH , General Manager - Realty Promotion  | 08 06 2010 13:13:43 +0000
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I think its a good idea to generate power, but to use this technology in all places is not easy........at certain places where the maintenance cost of asphalt road is high can be replaced by solar panels. By doing proper feasibility study considering maximum profit and least loss, this technology can be applied and maximum use of solar energy can be done..............
By Suraj Narayan, Project Planning  | 08 06 2010 05:06:40 +0000
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Yes why not, If we get manufacturers to manufacture it at a low cost and produce high quality stuff which can last long then we can see the Solar roadways becoming a reality very soon, the concept is really good and just needs to be backed up by people who talk Green all the time, I mean Al gore can easily make few roads go solar and check whether this project is feasible or not and then can ask his counterparts to support the research in this regard and can come with some cleantech products like these and which will help the energy woes in future...
By Kiran Kumar Reddy, Business Analyst, SAP  | 08 05 2010 13:41:14 +0000
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Thanks Ms Shikha, I read about it in detail, its really very good technology development. It is in budding stage but, it will be worth for future generation. One should read about this in detail before commenting and why can't we think such innovative ideas to gift our future generation and environmental friendly one.
By parimala.c.wagh , Tech Architect, Rites.Ltd/GC/BMRCL  | 11 22 2011 05:34:09 +0000
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I HAVE THE EXPERTISE OF LOW COST SOLAR LANTERNS too

Interested People / NGOs can Contact me: Email: microwonder@gmail.com
By AJAY KUMAR KHAITAN, Consultant  | 08 17 2011 06:27:44 +0000
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The idea of keeping the solar panels and providing street lights worked in rural India. Solar Lanterns are also used to keep the villagers move here and there during nights. I remember an NGO doing it in some parts of AP.
By MS_Pi , Top Management, Confidential  | 08 17 2011 05:49:52 +0000
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@ Praveen & nohar ......... Thanks for supporting .....

Yes we can use it some other ways...

@Kiran if they can manufacture for low cost, everyone will start using it in homes. why for roads.....    
By Shikha Malhotra, Product Development Manager, Reliance Petroleum  | 08 06 2010 12:42:10 +0000
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Why roads ? Definitely its work but we can use this panels other places like roof beside roads, towers etc... It do not work in Indian conditions...
By Nohar Singh Dhruv, Jr. Engg, Chhatisgarh State Electrical Board  | 08 06 2010 05:51:08 +0000
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Its very difficult at the moment, if the idea is “roads that pay for themselves” these cost issues need to be addressed before anyone will take this concept seriously. It is not clear why paving the country’s roads with glass is a better energy solution than simply setting up solar energy farms which connect to the existing energy grid. I’d really like to see what the proposed cost of these roadways would be and what the payback period would be in terms of energy produced.

The other question this raises is what would be the lifespan of these roadways compared to regular asphalt. And how often would the panels need to be replaced simply to take advantage of improving solar technology and better solar panels. Will we have to upgrade our roads every two years, and who is going to pay for that?

So many questions needs to be answered before we even take these things seriously, but someone somewhere is trying to bring in that change, but then the sustainability and the scalability of the project will depend on the low cost of laying them on roads..
By Shikha Malhotra, Product Development Manager, Reliance Petroleum  | 08 05 2010 09:37:42 +0000
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