Could Asphalt Roads Become Solar Power Producers?: Solar Energy: Eco20/20

Could Asphalt Roads Become Solar Power Producers?

Researchers at the University of Rhode Island are starting research into using the miles and miles of roads that stretch across our country as solar power producers. It is a well known phenomenon that roads collect a lot of heat from sunlight during the day. This heat collection is so extreme that it is blamed for the increased heat that is associated with urban centers as compared to areas with fewer roads. The researchers are exploring four ways to collect and harness that energy.

The most basic approach is to attach photovoltaic cells to all the exposed areas of the roads. The flexible cells could be attached to the barriers on the roads and embedded in the roadway in areas like the shoulders where vehicles typically do not travel. The electricity produced could be collected and used locally to power street lights and signs. The great thing about current flexible PV cells is that they do not have to be pointed directly at the sun, so they could be placed anywhere where there is sunlight and still collect power during the day.

A second intriguing idea is embedding water filled piping into the road bed that would collect heat from the sun. As the water warms it would circulate into areas where ice and snow accumulate thus melting the snow and ice and reducing the need for salt to be used on the roads. The warm water could also be circulated to nearby buildings to assist in the heating needs of the structures as well as for hot water. This system would be very similar to the geothermal heat pumps which are already in use in many homes and buildings around the country, producing heating and hot water at minimal cost. And, of course, the heat could be used as steam to turn a steam turbine and produce electricity as well.

The third idea works on the thermal-electric principal that a small electric current is produced when a hot and cold location are connected using two types of semi-conductors. By putting semi-conductors in different places in the roadway, like in the sunny and the shady areas, a current could be produced. Although there are no practical applications of this idea yet, research suggests it could produce enough electricity to de-ice roads.

The final idea involves completely replacing the roadways with photovoltaic blocks that could be used for power, to illuminate the roadway itself and to even make the road marking movable to alter the road configuration. This idea is currently extremely expensive and has only been used in very small experiments because of the high cost.

Researchers hope that these ideas can turn the unused roadbed into power providers from a resource that is already available.

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