A few months ago Solar Roadways was the recipient of extra attention in the blogosphere. 2nd Green Revolution did its part and brought you news of this company as well. All of the attention resulted in a redesigned website with flash animation. The older version of the site (one of which can be seen here) lacked the “Wow” factor that is now a part of the new site.

While the revamped site contains a wealth of information on the benefits of solar roadways in an attractive, easy to access format, there does not seem to be much movement on the development and implementation side.Are these structures feasible? Has any large scale testing been completed to demonstrate their viability? They make a lot of sense from the efficiency stand point. Building roads with solar panels that are durable and strong enough to outlast typical roads, while generating electricity at the same time, would be a no-brainer. According to the calculations provided by Solar Roadways, replacing asphalt roads with integrated solar panels will result in a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases (stemming from burning coal) and enough electricity to power the continental United States three times over.

While the numbers are mind boggling, the reality of the situation remains unchanged. Currently, no large scale demonstration of the technology has been deployed. Expect the status quo when it comes to asphalt paving our collective future.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: Solar Roadways]