New Technology Could Make Roads a Solar Energy Source
The most efficient form of renewable energy may be right underneath us. Researchers at Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts announced today that they have discovered a method to use road surfaces for solar collection.
The key is using the plentiful heat absorbed by asphalt pavement. By experimenting with different asphalt compositions, the team discovered that heat absorption in pavement can be significantly increased with the addition of highly conductive aggregates such as quartzite. Heat exchangers could be placed a few centimeters under the pavement to collect and use solar energy.
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Hot water coming from an asphalt-powered system could be used for industrial processes or to heat buildings.
According to WPI, retrofitting roads and parking lots could turn them into massive solar farms, potentially eliminating the need independently constructed solar farms. This would be a huge boon for the solar energy industry, which currently uses huge swaths of land for its projects. The WPI research might also make solar viable in places where it might not be otherwise, as asphalt absorbs more heat than many other surfaces.
Pretty soon, you might just appreciate your local highway a little more.
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Great for summertime… what happens to the grid during winter?
Sounds like a good idea — but how would such a system hold up under normal road wear conditions? Could such a system be reliable over the long haul without huge maintainance costs?
I like the fact that absorbing the heat will help cool down the asphalt. That would help in states like Georgia where tires peel off tractor trailers rolling over super hot highways.
Great idea; however, if they can’t fix the pothole that’s been in front of my house for two years, they’re probably not going to tackle this project anytime soon.
i need to do more thinking, that’s for sure.
Great idea. Things like that will make a HUGE difference if we can pull them off.
This is more smoke and mirrors. Do one parking lot without government subsides. Most asphalt roads need resurfacing every few years.
And fix that guys pothole in front of his house 1st.
very good
I think it’s a great idea for the future. But I also think it would be a greater idea to collect the solar heat from concrete buildings in the big cities.
PLUS every street with high builings in a big city creates HUGE GUSTS OF WIND at street level where this energy could be collected via wind collecting devices that would be a lot more useful than ugly “gargoyles”.
Its a great Idea, but he cost to tear up and repave all thos roads would be tremendous.