Solar Roads: The Future of Travel Roads are useful and often necessary, but are limited to a single purpose in addition to being expensive, dangerous, and environmentally-unfriendly. What if I told you there is something better? Because there is. Welcome to solar roads, the versatile, cost-effective, safe, and green future of travel. Solarroadways.com, the main website about solar roadways, explains that solar roads are hexagonal boards that are an alternative surface/building material and act as a vast network of passive solar collectors. They replace standard asphalt roads with roads made of solar cells. Enormous measures of renewable energy could be created by these paneled roads. Unlike ordinary roads, solar roads are constructed of solar …show more content…
Solarroadways.com explains that even though solar roadways cost 70 dollars per square foot, unlike asphalt roads, solar roads are so efficient that, if installed nationwide, they would pay for themselves over the course of a year. Solar roads would convert the sun’s energy into electrical energy. The energy would be stored using “virtual storage", meaning that excess energy would be placed back into the grid during daylight hours and then could be drawn back out of the grid in the evening. The power generated by the solar roads is worth more than it would cost to replace our existing nationwide road infrastructure. In fact, according to Mr. Brusaw, a nationwide network of solar roads would generate over three times the electric power America consumes each year. This would result in tremendous energy savings for every American, plus the potential for profitable energy exports, in addition to covering the cost of the solar roads. Ordinary roads, on the other hand, just sit around and deteriorate. Ordinary roads constantly need to be repaired, repainted, and replaced. While solar roadways also need to be repaired and replaced every 20 years, they pay for themselves in the long run. Spending and Funding for Highways, an article about annual costs of roads by the Congressional Budget Office, says that the US spends approximately 57 billion …show more content…
Commonhealth.wbr.org, a website about health care, personal health, medical research, payment reform and more, says that in 2013 in the United States, about 33,804 deaths were from unintentional motor vehicle accidents. Since traveling by car is Americans’ main source of transportation, safe roads are needed. Solarroadways.com continues that solar roads can likely result in fewer collisions since the roads are pressure sensitive. For example, when a road hazard is present and one’s vehicle approaches it, a solar road can sense the hazard and alert the driver by displaying a warning message using the LED lights in the solar panel circuit boards. Another way solar roads promote road safety is by preventing obstacles such as potholes from developing. Solar roads are not susceptible to pothole formation since the solar panels don’t crumble. Furthermore, solar roads avoid problems associated with accumulation of water, ice, and snow by using heating elements to keep each individual panel above zero degrees Celsius and by draining excess water via integrated drainage channels. Also, solar roadways can be heated up to 257 degrees. Their ability to withstand heat keeps the roads from melting from friction, hot objects, and sunlight. Additionally, when panels themselves become obstacles, such as when they are damaged, they can be easily identified through the solar roads’ network of microprocessors, and can then be fixed or replaced.
One of these new innovations is glow in the dark road markings. This new technology uses solar power obtained from the road throughout the day to “charge” the photo-luminising powder that is the glow in the dark lights. Expensive lighting will be replaced with this more cost efficient option that can glow up to eight hours a night. This innovation can already be found on the N329 highway in Oss, Netherlands. Other advancements in lighting to come include wind powered lights and interactive lights. Wind powered street lights will be powered by the gusts of wind created when a car passes by, reducing the need to burn fossil fuels to power the lights. Interactive lights will be turned off but as a car approaches they light up, then fade back away as the car passes by. Smart new technology has the future of roadway systems
Imagine that you’re driving on an open highway in the middle of summer. All you see in front of you is asphalt for miles and miles. The windows are down and your favorite song comes on the radio. You’re behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S, the newest electric car that can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 2.4 seconds. This will soon be the future of all motor vehicles. Electric cars are beginning to have colossal impacts on our society because of their energy efficiency, performance benefits, and the fact that they are less harmful to the environment. In the near future, electric cars will dominate the road and eventually the planet’s overall need for oil will decrease immensely.
First solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules, better known as solar panels. The company has an opportunity to expand into other regions, making the company more profitable. The company was founded in 1990, by Harold McMasters as Solar Cells, Inc., and it was then purchased by the True North Partners, LLC, who rebranded it as First Solar Inc. First Solar headquarters’ is located in Tempe, Arizona, U.S. The company went public in 2006, trading on the NASDAQ. First solar is ranked as the second largest maker of solar panels modules worldwide. They specialize in manufacturing photovoltaic modules, and also serve as providers of photovoltaic power plants. First solar became the first solar panel manufacturing company to “lower its manufacturing cost to $1 per watt and that has been done through their replacement of crystalline silicon for cadmium telluride as their semiconductor” to create panels (Lynley, 2011). The manufacturing company continues to grow and improve their products as well. We will be exporting our photovoltaic products to the Dominican Republic. The reason we chose to export solar panels to the Dominican Republic is simply because it is one of our smallest products yet the most accessible one.
Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy.
Everyone on earth is familiar with solar power; it is the energy that the sun gives to the earth and is used by various organisms in various ways. Plants use solar energy to make food; cold-blooded animals use it to get their body temperature high enough to function while warm blooded animals use it for warmth. In the history of mankind, solar power has been critical. However, it is only in later years that the human race has acquired the technology necessary for collecting and storing solar energy. Solar panels and their attendant hardware make it possible to harness the energy, store it and transport it. The equipment has now become so small in some cases that one can wear it on his or her person. The paper shows
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
Also, with the ability to make thin film solar, parking garages can now become mini power plants. What are the tops of parking garages used for anyway? Why not use them to create energy efficient, planet friendly electricity? In large cities where there are multiple parking garages, the garage can power the business that who’s employees park there.
I have already written about the obvious benefits of going solar. There are other benefits as well that decrease the impact on our earth over time. Solar panels and battery banks have a life of 25-35 years and don't need anything more than general cleaning, snow removal and monthly water filling. Solar energy is the cleanest and purest form of energy, allowing for cleaner air overall in our environment. There is great hope for a lot more solar panels to be installed worldwide.
One alternative to solar energy is fossil fuels, which can cause a great amount of pollution, and will one day no longer be available to us. Scott Barber says in his article, “The exploitation and misuse of our natural resources is rapidly depleting our oil and natural gas” (2). This commodity is highly sought after, which has caused a lot of conflict all over the world. Most buildings in the United States have electricity and heat thanks to oil, and gas. “The United States, having consumed from 82% to 88% of its proved oil reserves (API 1999), now imports more than 60% of its oil at an annual cost of approximately $75 billion” according to an issue in the Oxford Journals (Pimentel 1110).
Here I am sitting in my driving training course, going along the residential roads, speaking to my instructor about cars. As we travel along the 25 mph traffic, he discusses the idea of cars operated on solar energy. My mind went ablaze and I could not help but think of the wonders of cars run solely on the energy of the massive sun. Not only will America be moving more advance than other countries, internationally, but the need to dig for oil will lessen tremendously, the necessity for citizens to pay the continuous raising gas prices will disappear. The question however is, how to do it?
Kermeliotis, Teo. "Solar-powered Roads: Coming to a Highway near You?" CNN. Cable News Network, 12 May 2014. Web. 23 May 2014.
Another alternative energy source is solar energy. This is predicted to be the most promising source of energy for the future, but there are still a few things that need improving to make it work in the most efficient way. Solar energy is produced when photovoltaic cells in solar panels absorb sunlight and convert it to energy. The energy from the cells is converted to electricity in an inverter and can be used or stored for later use. Solar energy is both renewable and sustainable. It is also a clean and quiet way to produce energy. Solar energy is good for remote or rural areas where it may be difficult to get power lines. Although solar panels are expensive to install they are low maintenance after installation. However, there is a need for a large, open area for the solar panels. Solar panels can only absorb energy during the day and even though the energy can be stored for use at night, it can be expensive to store energy. Solar panels are also less effective in bad weather when there is less sunlight to be
The Earth captures around 342 W/m2 of energy from the sun. This energy is in the form of solar radiation, which the atmosphere reflects about 77 W/m2 and will absorb around 68 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. Therefore, the Earth’s surface is receiving, on average, about 197 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. This amount of energy received is roughly more than 10,000 times the amount of all energy humans consume per year. This energy can be used to produce electricity or heat. This energy source is not being used to it’s potential considering how much effort would come into effect to store and transport this energy.
Solar energy in simple is the energy provided by the sun known as solar radiation. This energy can be used to produce solar electricity or heating. This energy can be for domestic use or even commercial use. The solar technologies are classified into 2 types, the solar photovoltaic (PV) and the concentrated solar power (CSP). For solar photovoltaic technology, the conversion of solar energy to electrical energy directly requires solar photovoltaic cells. In brief, the sunlight strikes the PV cell, the semiconductor material of the cell will absorb part of the light, and it will energize the electrons in the material, allowing it to flow freely, creating electricity. It is known as the photovoltaic effect. The other way to produce electricity
This paper will explore the many aspects of solar energy. From how it was discovered to what it is used for, how it is used, and the many benefits of it. Solar energy is defined as, radiant energy emitted by the sun. Solar energy has been used for many years and also has been used to generate a number of things that we use today, from solar powered cars and cell phones; solar energy is a huge aspect of human life as we know it. If it weren’t for solar energy, many things may not be able to operate and many other things may not have been discovered because of it.