Positive News: informs, inspires, empowers
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
  • Black Joy is propelling a rural racial justice movement
Planet

Couple Makes Roads out of Solar Panels

PictureJulie and Scott Brusaw stand on a 12x12-foot parking lot, the first installation of their Solar Roadways project © Solar Roadways
by Emily Atkin
 
Finding a way to replace regular roads with ones that could better serve a sustainable world has long been Scott and Julie Brusaw’s dream. Lately, the couple has been working on that dream so much that on Tuesday, May 13, they didn’t even sleep.

“All of the publicity is keeping us hopping,” Julie said by email on Wednesday afternoon, after Scott had fallen asleep. “I have over 6,800 unanswered emails in my inbox right now—not counting all of the thousands I’ve responded to, of course!” The emails are about the couple’s Solar Roadways project, which aims to replace traditional asphalt-and-concrete roadways with solar panels that are covered with 4-square-foot glass hexagon panels. The glass panels are designed not only to withstand the heaviest of trucks, but are also textured, which allows tires to grip the road’s surface while water runs off it. 

The solar panels underneath generate energy from the sun, which would not only power nearby communities but also the electric vehicles that drive on top of them. The power produced would also fuel embedded heating elements that melt ice and snow, essentially making snowplows obsolete. In addition, the panels would also generate enough juice to light up yellow LED lights, replacing painted-on road lines to make night driving safer.

It’s a seemingly crazy idea, but according to the couple, it’s actually working. Boosted by two phases of funding they’ve received from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, they’ve built a parking lot that they say can withstand vehicle weight, generate electricity and ultimately help reduce climate change.

“We want to install a sufficient number of parking lots, sidewalks and driveways to feel ready to move on to [installing] roads,” she said. “However, we have potential customers waiting from all over the country and the world, so we’re also hoping to move very quickly. If we meet our goal on Indiegogo (crowdfunding website), that will enable us to hire our initial team and gear up for production.”

Their dream seems to be coming true. The initial $1 million Indiegogo campaign raised over $2 million for Solar Roadways.

More Information:
...........................
www.solarroadways.com
Reported by Think Progress
Posted September 2014
Picture

Picture
If you like this story, please consider taking out a gift-based subscription. 

Picture
Why Positive News? 
to Nurture Hope
to Exemplifies Solutions
to Inspire Action

to Celebrate Positive Change!

We envision a world in which people treat each other with respect and kindness, where we consider the Earth to be our home to care for and to enjoy. And we see that this world is in the process of emerging. Positive News is a reflection of this widespread movement and tells its powerful stories.

Picture
Picture
Picture

popular stories

  • Aluna: a message from the agents of the Earth
  • Trees communicate with each other
  • The dangerous things you should let your kid do

  • War has not existed for the majority of human history
  • Sharing news about solutions is a revolutionary act
  • A new movement frees  communities from corporate control
  • The happiest facts of all time
  • The man who planted a forest
  • Teens invent a pee-powered generator
  • Thousands are being freed of debt
  • New Leaders for a New Generation 
.    Planet     .
.     Peace    .
.    Youth     .
.       Art       .
People Power
.      Justice    .
.  Happiness .
New Economy
.  Generosity .
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
  • Black Joy is propelling a rural racial justice movement