Julie and Scott Brusaw of Sandpoint, Idaho has been working on a solar power road. This road would be made of glass and will be just as strong as the asphalt that’s being used right now. Back in 2009 the U.S. department of transportation gave their project $100,000 to test out their idea. After some tweaks they have been able to add heat to the road and LED lights. The heat would be for melting the snow away to make the roads safe for driving. This alone would save in salt supplies and having to plow all the snow off the road. The LED’s are to mark the roadways. It’s better than paint since it would cover the panels and not allow the panel to collect energy. The lights can also pop up with “slow down” on the road to alert the driver of something in the road.
The couple’s next step is to crowd fund $1 million to take their testing to the next step. They plan on also using this technology on sidewalks and parking lots. This would help gas stations and local restaurants to save money on energy and they won’t have to hire help to shovel the snow off their property. If they get government founding to replace the roads with this technology it would take 5 billion 12ftx12ft solar panels, and this could lead to more jobs. The best part about the technology is quick repairs. All you need to do is take a panel section off and replace it with a new one. This would eliminate traffic delays and long repair delays. This technology will be something to look forward to and I hope the government approves to use it.