What is solar roadways?
Solar roadways are created and made using photovoltaic cells in the solar road system.
Considering the best combination of variables, the piezoelectric devices could be ideal candidates for harvesting energy in asphalt pavement roadways or roads with solar panel.
How Solar Road is constructed?
In this road with solar panels, the main purpose of solar roadways is to replace asphalt roads with Solar Panels that generate energy through the sun.
This whole construction process involves furnishing and wiring the base plate, placement and connection of solar photovoltaic cells with the previously placed layers, and finally the positioning of the glass layer.
So, solar roadways or roads with solar panels generate electricity because in the whole construction process photovoltaic cells are used, and due to these photovoltaic cells, solar roadways generate electricity.
The solar panel on the top of the solar road studs absorbs solar energy from the sun, which can be transformed into electrical energy and stored electricity energy automatically converted into light energy.
Detailed view of the components of solar roadways or solar freakin roadways.
Solar roadways consist of three layers.
- The Road Surface Layer –
- The topmost layer will consist of the photovoltaics in hardened glass on road with solar panels.
- The Road Layer is the High Strength layer that has the photovoltaic cells which attract the sun’s rays, it has traction so vehicles don’t slide off the road, and it’s waterproof to protect the layers below.
- The Electronic Layer –
- The Electronics layer consists of the microprocessor with supporting circuitry (measuring, feedback, and control units). solar road studs work perfectly.
- This layer can sense how much weight is on the panels and can control the heating element to melt the snow on road with solar panels.
- This layer controls heating elements (snow sensing), load (pressure gauges), solar road light, communications, and monitoring of the road with solar panel.
- The microprocessing units will be fitted every 12 feet distance making it a truly ‘intelligent solar road’.
- The Base Plate Layer –
- The base plate layer is the power transmission layer.
- The Base Plate Layer is the layer that collects the energy from the sun and distributes the power to the offices that are connected to the solar roadways.
- This will also be used to transfer the energy to cars as they drive over the strip to recharge the battery.
- This layer is also waterproofed and weatherproofed to prevent electronic layer damage and solar road studs.
Also read: Top 3 Transformative Innovations in road construction
5 interesting solar roadways around the world
- France opened a 1 km solar road in 2016
- Wattway’s solar roads have also been installed in Georgia
- China has built an entire solar expressway on solar freakin roadways.
- This bike path in The Netherlands was another pioneer
- Solar Roadways hope to roll out across the U.S.
Read more in detail about the 5 interesting solar roadways around the world.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SOLAR ROAD
Advantages of Solar Road:
- The main advantage of the solar roadway concept is that it utilizes a renewable source of energy to produce electricity.
- EVs can be rechargeable at any conveniently located rest stop or at any parking lot. Owners can plug their car in and recharge while not driving in the solar freakin roadways.
- The roads heat themselves with their embedded heating elements and melt away all the snow in the solar freakin roadways.
- With The solar road light LEDs beneath the transparent panel, roads can be lightened up for safe night travel and an aesthetic look.
- The life span of the solar panels is around 20 years, much greater than normal asphalt roads, which only last 7–12 years.
- Another advantage of solar roadways is that they do not require the development of unused and potentially environmentally sensitive lands.
Disadvantages of Solar Road:
- Most solar road failures due to Maintenance costs are high because road surfaces accumulate rubber, salt, soil, and other substances that block sunlight and must be removed.
- The durability of the panels may also be less, further increasing maintenance costs. solar road failure
- In India, the solar road will work efficiently in summer, while it will give comparatively less efficiency in other seasons due to the lack of solar radiation.
- Whereas in the countries where summer lasts for more than half of the year this technique can be efficiently used. schwinn solara road bike also helpull to eachother.
- In the solar road failure, the Schwinn Solara road bike helps users. solar roadways ppt, solar road studs.
The companies who are working on solar roadway projects.
There are many companies who work on this project, manufacturing solar panels for the roads, technology partners, and road construction companies are involved in the solar roadways project to develop future solar roads.
- Solar Roadways, a real solution is one of the projects that work to develop sustainable solar roads.
Read more about it: https://solarroadways.com/
Conclusion
The need of the hour for an alternative energy source is increasing at an alarming rate Solar roadways if implemented can be a solution for all our energy concerns. For underdeveloped and developing countries, it might seem impractical now. But it can be adopted in stages, in the future. With technological up-gradation in the transportation field.
Debarati Gupta is a civil engineer intern and content writer at PIGSO Learning. Her passion to write and explore the topics in-depth helps learners to get detailed knowledge of the subject. Read more blogs written by her in the pigso learning blog.