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The good, the bad and the ugly: Harnessing solar energy on highways

Solar Panel HighwaysRenewable energy is indeed the order of the day and the sun tops the list as the best source of power and energy that mankind has been blessed with. No wonder, solar panels, also called photovoltaic cells, have a great potential in their use across sectors and industries.

A case in point is the solar panel highway. This is nothing but an ‘intelligent’ solar panel-embedded road. The panels generate clean electricity besides providing valuable data on potential damages, vehicle tracking, and critical information by virtue of the built-in micro processing boards. As this setup also ensures an incidental revenue stream through electricity generation, it makes great business sense for investment, also such projects get funds through venture capital and governmental finance.

The Good:

Solar Highway

Solar highway panel

The “solar highway” panels are three layered — the topmost layer provides vehicle traction through a durable and textured glass cover,the underlying layer houses an array of solar cells to absorb energy and the bottom layer is responsible for power distribution. While the solar-powered LED lights of the panels convey critical road information, the heat keeps roads free from snow and ice.

Can this be better?

If Solar Roadways, a U.S. company, is to be believed electric vehicles can expect some cheer. The company plans to create structurally engineered solar panel rows to enable electric cars and trucks to stay charged at roadside stations, thereby, serving a key business need. What’s more, each 3.7 meter by 3.7 meter panel will be capable of producing 7.6 kilowatt hours of power per day. That would potentially allow one mile of solar roadway to light up as many as 500 homes.

The Bad:

Solar Energy

Too difficult and costly to implement

For all its benefits, the solar panel highways are a costly proposition. While the manufacturing cost of a single panel is about $7,000, the plan of laying them on the highway expanse would mean a financial loss of billions. Apart from the installation cost, implementation training, and maintenance would create major cost chunks. It would easily take several years before the return on investments would cover the costs incurred. Precisely, this is the reason why the company is hinting at small-scale projects to start with.

Can this be avoided?

It’s clear that repairs and maintenance of these solar panels is much higher as compared to fixing on normal asphalt roads. The company argues that the use of a self-cleaning glass would keep the surface dirt-proof thereby minimizing dirt and grime but the claim is yet to be proved.

The Ugly:

Solar Energy

Cloudy days

Obviously, the topmost hurdle in the way of solar energy and, hence, solar panels is cloud on a rainy day. The current solar power technology is not efficient to tackle the cloud cover. In fact, most solar panels manage to convert only about 14 percent of available energy into electricity.

Why are we so critical?

When sunlight comes at a premium, especially in winters, power generation would face a big challenge. That is why solar energy is still considered as only of the many sources of renewable energy, not the sole source. As sunlight is not around throughout the year, so is the case with solar power.

The bottom line

With all its drawbacks and constraints, solar panel highway is a path-breaking innovation. Its environment-friendliness makes it a technology of the future. Whether reducing the effects of greenhouse gases or conserving resources, the ecofriendly benefits are undeniably valuable. Maybe after a few years you will merrily cruise on glass solar panels ridiculing the asphalt roadways of a buried past. Till then, wait and watch.

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