Black technology! Solar road powers vehicles and heats roads to prevent snow buildup

Solar power generation pavement is a new type of pavement structure in which solar energy absorbing panels are laid on the existing asphalt concrete pavement or cement concrete pavement, and the pavement space is used to generate energy. The solar pavement structure not only has the function of road driving, but also has the functions of real-time wireless charging of electric vehicles, automatic heating and deicing of the road surface, etc. At the same time, it can also use the LED lights on the battery panel to provide traffic management information such as traffic signals and traffic markings. Solar panels replace asphalt: The use of solar panels to generate electricity on roads can save oil in two ways. One is that the electricity generated by solar panels can be fed into the high-voltage grid to charge electric vehicles; the other is that solar panels replace asphalt made from petroleum. Scott is an electrical engineer and Julie is a psychotherapist. Highways are not within the expertise of either of the couple. As the climate change debate intensified in the United States, the couple came up with the idea of ​​a solar road. There are also some light-emitting diodes installed in these roads that can light up road signs on cloudy days or at night. It is reported that these solar panels are also covered with mosaic-effect lights, which can be used as traffic signs and warning messages at night. In addition, the road can also be“embedded”A heater so that in winter there will be no more snow and thin ice on the road. Scott and Julie, who were involved in the development, said they had developed a small portion of the solar-powered road to demonstrate the viability of their design. And they hope to one day roll out their solar path first in the US and then roll it out to various countries to contribute to the promotion of green energy. A family business in Idaho, USA, has unveiled its design concept for a solar road and has completed a“PARKING LOT”template. In this design, the solar panel can“embedded”Under the highway, and provide electric road heating for surrounding vehicles to prevent ice and snow: but they encountered many bumps in the search for a smart alternative to asphalt. Scott said:“It had to have the structural characteristics of current asphalt pavements, at least to provide traction, even in the rain. That is one of the biggest problems to be solved in developing the top structure of solar panels.”After many experiments, they finally succeeded in developing a kind of high-hardness and embossed glass as a road surface for solar panels.“We are reluctant to call this material glass because it is so far from traditional window glass. But it is glass after all, and it can only be called that.”Apart from the base, the solar panel consists of three layers. The first layer is a layer of hard glass containing solar panels, LED lights and a heating system. This translucent, high-strength, water-repellent road surface layer provides enough traction and allows sunlight to hit the solar panels. The second layer is a layer of electronics with a microcontroller that activates the LED lights, with functions for controlling lighting, communication and monitoring. The above circuit can sense the load and control the heating unit, so that the car can drive normally in icy and snowy weather. The third layer is the waterproof chassis layer, which not only protects the upper electronic components from drying, but also distributes the collected energy and data signals. Multiple solar road panels are connected to each other to become a smart solar road, forming a smart distributed grid. Overhead solar photovoltaic highway: The core technology of overhead solar photovoltaic highway is photovoltaic power generation, which is relatively mature. There are large-scale photovoltaic power generation projects at home and abroad. However, the installation of photovoltaic power generation corridors above the road surface requires the use of a large number of complex monitoring systems to ensure the healthy and safe operation of the highway system, and there is no application case yet. At the same time, the operation, maintenance and management of the overhead solar photovoltaic highway has a great impact on the existing maintenance and repair mode and cost of the highway. Therefore, the applicability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of photovoltaic power generation corridors as highway infrastructures need to be researched and demonstrated. The developers further elaborated that the solar roads they designed will have high value, and the first value must be the good use of solar energy. If successfully installed nationwide in the United States, it can provide more possibilities for the entire country. renewable energy. The solar power generation pavement and the overhead solar photovoltaic power generation corridor are the revolutionary innovative technologies with milestone significance in the development of highways, and are the frontier direction of the cross-development of green energy and road transportation technology.