The Solar Roadway is getting a (tiny) test along Route 66 : video
The Solar Roadway is getting a (tiny) test along Route 66
By James Vincent on July 1, 2016 04:25 am
Solar Roadway's crazy plan to replace America's roads with solar panels has always been met with a mixture of public glee and pragmatic criticism. Now, though, the company is getting a new, tiny public test, with a stretch of solar sidewalk to be installed on Route 66. According to Missouri's News Tribune, Solar Roadway's hexagonal, LED-embedded solar panels will be used to generate electricity for the Route 66 Welcome Center at Conway, as well as possibly fund future pilots.
"Solar roadways can hopefully create new revenue streams," Tom Blair, an engineer for Missouri's Department of Transportation (MoDOT), told the Tribune. "If their version of the future is realistic, roadways can begin paying for themselves." The solar panels will be tested first on a pavement leading to the rest stop's entrance, with plans to then expand onto the parking lot.
Solar Roadway, founded by Idaho couple Julie and Scott Brusaw, first started selling their solar dreams in 2010. They argued that their plan would deliver three times America's electricity demands, and that their hexagonal solar panels would also filter stormwater, replace above-ground power cables, melt snow, and even light up to give warnings to drivers. In 2014, the company raised more than $2.25 million for their project on Indiegogo.
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http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/1/12077414/solar-panel-roadway-public-test-route-66
