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Roads that generate electricity

Posted on Sep 21, 07 12:18 AM PDT

Roads that generate electricity

Electrical engineer Scott Brusaw has developed a system which generates electricity using roads by covering the roads to a strip-like solar farm. His solution consists of a 3-layer system that replaces tarmac, where the upper layer would be translucent yet weatherproof, allowing sunlight to pass through. The middle layer holds LEDs and solar cells that capture electricity, while the bottom layer prevents soil humidity from getting through while hosting communication cables and different systems. The power stored will be especially beneficial when winter comes around as it can be used to heat the road in order to prevent unwanted accidents. According to Bursaw, if the US Interstate Highway system adopted his system, an solar cell efficiency of 10% is more than capable of powering the entire whole country, while making Bursaw a very, very rich man in the process.

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By imajoebob , 22/09/07 3:07 PM (CommentID #309522)


Two words that makes this idea useless: Frost Heaves.

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