Solar FREAKING Roadways

Phase II Prototype Solar Parking Lot

Pet Friendly!

LEDs

Snow test - Heating elements (not the LEDs!) in the two center panels are activated.

Artist's rendition of interstate. Graphic design by Sam Cornett

Tractor test

Artist's rendition of downtown Sandpoint, Idaho - Home of Solar Roadways. Graphic design by Sam Cornett

Artist's rendition of downtown Sandpoint sidewalk. Graphic design by Sam Cornett

We are excited to announce that Indiegogo has asked us to join their InDemand program: It allows teams to continue raising funds for their projects.

We are very excited about this for many reasons:

We've had numerous requests since our original campaign ended: "Can I still donate?", "Can I still get a Solar Roadways perk?", "I'd love to be a part of this movement", etc. Many people hadn't even heard about Solar Roadways until after the campaign had ended. Now, everyone can join in and become a part of Solar Roadways history.

We're still in Research & Development, so we're not making a profit yet. Therefore, we can still use your help. One of the things on our wish list is to do some more civil engineering (road) testing. We would also love to make some of our own machinery. The more of the production we can do ourselves and the more we can streamline it, the more we can keep costs down. The more money we can raise, the faster we can proceed to make our product available to the world.

We received donations from 165 countries, which is a clear indication that the world is ready for the paradigm shift Solar Roadways will become. We can't tell you what that level of support and encouragement has meant to us.

Since our original campaign, countless supporters have expressed what it means to them to help us spread the word. We need an educational component to create momentum. People tell us that the bumper stickers they put on their cars, the tote bags in their shopping carts, and the pendants around their necks provide a fun and effortless way for them to start conversations with others and we so appreciate that!

U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) talks about Solar Roadways

Years ago, when the phrase "Global Warming" began gaining popularity, we started batting around the idea of replacing asphalt and concrete surfaces with solar panels that could be driven upon. We thought of the "black box" on airplanes: We didn't know what material that black box was made of, but it seemed to be able to protect sensitive electronics from the worst of airline crashes.

Suppose we made a section of road out of this material and housed solar cells to collect energy, which could pay for the cost of the panel, thereby creating a road that would pay for itself over time. What if we added LEDs to "paint" the road lines from beneath, lighting up the road for safer night time driving? What if we added a heating element in the surface (like the defrosting wire in the rear window of our cars) to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates? The ideas and possibilities just continued to roll in and the Solar Roadway project was born.

Our latest video - Google's Solve for X Solar Roadways presentation

What if roads and parking lots were solar, fueling enough energy from the sun to power nearby communities as well as electric vehicles? Scott and Julie Brusaw, the inventors/creators have the answer.

Join the conversation and tweet #SOLARROADWAY to have your tweet featured on the GE FOCUS FORWARD website. Go to focusforwardfilms.com/films/30/solar-roadways to see the discussion.

Watch more GE FOCUS FORWARD films at vimeo.com/focusforwardfilms/films.

Diamond Lane Films

DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY - Michèle Ohayon

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - Theo van de Sande A.S.C.

EDITOR - Jamal El Amin

MUSIC - Davy & Yoann Bernagoult

SOUND - Fernanda Starling

RE-RECORDING MIXER - Michael Bard C.A.S.

ADDITIONAL EDITING - Edgar Burcksen, A.C.E.

ANIMATION - Dan Walden, Martin Ehleben

LINE PRODUCER, LA - Joel Sadilek

GRAPHICS - Patrick Bielski

LA PA - Jonathan VU

IDAHO PA - Dave Hussey

Short documentary by Michele Ohayon

In 2009, we received a contract from the Federal Highway Administration to build the first ever Solar Road Panel prototype. During the course of its construction, we learned many lessons and discovered new and better ways to approach this project. These methods and discoveries are discussed throughout this website. Please enjoy and send us any questions that you may have. For Phase I pictures, please visit our Phase I Prototype page.

  This YERT video is featured in their full-length documentary, now being screened across the U.S. For a screening or presentation near you, click on the following "YERT plate":

After successful completion of the Phase I SBIR contract, we were awarded a follow-up 2-year Phase II $750,000 SBIR contract by the Federal Highway Administration beginning in 2011. With this award, a 36-foot by 12-foot prototype parking lot (108 prototype Solar Road Panels) was built and then tested under all weather and sunlight conditions. For Phase II pictures, please visit our Phase II Prototype page.

Scott presented the Solar Roadways at a TEDx Talk in Sacramento on April 16th, 2010. He was given 18 minutes for "The talk of his life" and it went great!

Everyone has power. No more power shortages, no more roaming power outages, no more need to burn coal (50% of greenhouse gases). Less need for fossil fuels and less dependency upon foreign oil. Much less pollution. How about this for a long term advantage: an electric road allows all-electric vehicles to recharge anywhere: rest stops, parking lots, etc. They would then have the same range as a gasoline-powered vehicle. Internal combustion engines would become obsolete. Our dependency on oil would come to an abrupt end.

It's time to upgrade our infrastructure - roads and power grid - to the 21st century.

Short Documentary about Solar Roadways

The basic building block of what has been dubbed by its creators, electrical engineer Scott Brusaw and his wife Julie, a solar roadway. It could one day make for a highway built of 0.4 –square-meter hexagonal panels, a hodge podge of green circuit boards surrounding 36-watts worth of blue solar panels, all covered in thick, bumpy glass for safety and traction.

The idea is to put unused roadway to good use (generating electricity) while also providing an electronic means for lane shifts, driver messages and other utilities. Bonus: solar roadways obviate the need for an electric grid by including a “Cable Corridor” right in the side of the roadway that eliminates the need for power lines running alongside it. And if outfitted with sensors as well the solar highway could transmit real time traffic data or other information of interest. The novel idea has been around for a few years now, bursting back into prominence this summer thanks to a new crowdfunding campaign to support further research and development that garnered $2.2 million before closing on June 20.

Read more http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2014/07/10/hard-road-ahead-for-solar-freakin-roadways/

Official website of Scott Brusaw's Solar FREAKIN' Roadways http://www.solarroadways.com www.facebook.com/solarroadways

Scott presented the Solar Roadways at a TEDx Talk in Sacramento on April 16th, 2010. He was given 18 minutes for "The talk of his life" and it went great!

Everyone has power. No more power shortages, no more roaming power outages, no more need to burn coal (50% of greenhouse gases). Less need for fossil fuels and less dependency upon foreign oil. Much less pollution. How about this for a long term advantage: an electric road allows all-electric vehicles to recharge anywhere: rest stops, parking lots, etc. They would then have the same range as a gasoline-powered vehicle. Internal combustion engines would become obsolete. Our dependency on oil would come to an abrupt end. 

It's time to upgrade our infrastructure - roads and power grid - to the 21st century.

ORIGINAL: Solar Roadways