Sunday, November 27th, 2016
Stephan: Yet another story on what I see as a significant trend: Solar roadways are coming, mostly in other countries, but one small U.S. test project is scheduled for Georgia, as this report describes. Although the U.S. analyst Bloomberg consulted doesn't see the potential, other nations do, and as I have previously predicted the development of a "Bluetooth" -like non-wired linkage will change the game, and vastly speed up adaptation because it will allow vehicles to charge as they drive over a road. Once the fragility issue is resolved I expect to see solar roardways adopted quickly in Europe and Asia on freeways and toll roads first.
Solar panels, produced by Colas SA’s Wattway unit, owned by Bouygues SA, are laid onto a road; they are capable of withstanding the weight of an 18-wheeler truck. Credit: Wattway
Electric avenues that can transmit the sun’s energy onto power grids may be coming to a city near you.
A subsidiary of Bouygues SA has designed rugged solar panels, capable of withstand the weight of an 18-wheeler truck, that they’re now building into road surfaces. After nearly five years of research and laboratory tests, they’re constructing 100 outdoor test sites and plan to commercialize the technology in early 2018.
“We wanted to find a second life for a road,” said Philippe Harelle, the chief technology officer at […]
How do these roads work with snow plowing & potholes? I live in an area with over 100 inches of snow each year. It looks like a fantastic idea for tropical climates.
Perhaps, they can use power from the grid to melt the snow.