INNOVATIVE IDEA PROJECT: SOLAR

ROADWAYS

Roads today

● Over 4 million miles of roads across the united States

● 20% of land in US is impacted by roads

● Take the form of interstates, driveways, parking lots, highways, residential streets, etc.

● Most major roadways are made of asphalt○ Next most

common material is concrete

History of Roads◦ First were created by animals and then

adopted by humans ◦ over 6,000 years ago in Jericho

◦ Humans began constructing roads around 4,000 BCE in the Middle East

◦ Consisted of stone streets◦ 17th and 18th century: Road Revolution

◦ Hotspot in Europe◦ Increased travel and globalization demanded

better roads◦ Where most of modern ideas of roads originated

Progression of European Road Technologies

Roads and Automobiles◦ European road construction halted when railroads dominated the US◦ Rise of automobiles demanded a new kind of road leading into the 20th century

Asphalt Pavement◦ Composed of Bitumen, a Petroleum product

◦ Glues together rock and sand ◦ Layer of asphalt laid on top of a gravel base◦ Why?

◦ Produces little noise◦ Relatively inexpensive◦ Easy to repair

◦ Occurs frequently due to its lack of durability

What’s Wrong With Our Roads◦ Asphalt absorbs a large amount of thermal energy from the sun, but doesn’t do anything with

it (except burn feet and paws)◦ Asphalt may be inexpensive, but it does not last long

◦ Potholes form constantly◦ Requires constant maintenance to maintain longevity

Thermal efficiency● asphalt can reach

up to 70 degrees celsius

● heat absorbing properties

Environmental Impacts of Roads◦ Severe increase of wildlife mortality as animals cross

roads◦ Considered a leading cause of population decline for

some species ◦ Many cold-blooded animals attracted to hot asphalt

surface◦ Animals with large ranges will inevitably encounter roads

◦ Habitat fragmentation ◦ Prohibit flow of genes among populations◦ Physically alters their ecosystem

◦ Direct sources of pollution ◦ Particulate matter ◦ Greenhouse gases

◦ Non-Point Polluted Runoff

What Are Solar Roadways?

Why Solar Roads?Positives Negatives

● energy efficient● can stay snow/ice free● can be illuminated● can help power other structures around the

roadway

● can be high in cost● might not be a great return on investment● maintenance can be tricky● in the future could possibly be hacked

1. Start small with driveways and walkways

2. Progress to larger parking lots

3. Once the process is refined, move on to streets and highways

Our Plan

Other Benefits● Can remove

constant road maintenance of asphalt and concrete

● Move telephone lines underground so they can no longer be knocked down

● Redirect water on the road to a water treatment plant to be purified.

Melting Snow● our solar roadways

will have the ability to melt snow

● asphalt gets damaged when snow melts

● snow removal is heavily taxed

Existing Products◦ SolaRoad and SolarRoadways

◦ Solar roads

◦ http://gizmodo.com/5465091/wind-powered-highway-lights-disconnect-from-the-grid◦ Wind powered lights

◦ http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/smart-road-technologies/◦ Electric priority lane

◦ Uses magnetic fields to charge EVs on the go

Competition: Solar Roadways™◦ Based in Sandpoint, Idaho◦ Hopes to partner with national chains like Walmart and McDonalds

◦ will turn their parking lots into solar roads ◦ Features such as tempered glass, LED panels, recharging electric vehicles,

stormwater collection, housing for powerline cables, and heaters for snow/ice accumulation

Our Objectives and Features◦ Produce Electricity for a building or residence◦ Produce hot water for a building or residence◦ Keep roadways clear of snow◦ High efficiency ◦ LED powered lights and road signs ◦ Safe for animals ◦ Reduce reliance on nonrenewable energy sources ◦ Lower thermal waste◦ Stormwater capture and recycling

Key Parameters

◦ Cost Effective◦ Durable◦ Aesthetically Pleasing◦ Safe◦ Handle high weight limit◦ Pressure-Sensitive ◦ Low-maintenance

Why Choose Our Project◦ Only product that combines solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technologies

◦ can both heat water and generate electricity◦ Saves money on electricity bills and water heating bills◦ Durable, aesthetic alternative to asphalt◦ Could potentially prevent accidents with LED lights ◦ Glass

Glass◦ Solar Roadways has been criticized for glass getting dirty, lowering efficiency◦ Solution: Panel windshield wipers

◦ Engineered to be thin enough as to not cause any disturbances◦ Could use the pressure sensitivity aspects of each panel to avoid the wipers running when

a car or person could run over it

Thermal Solar Collector ◦ Converts solar radiation into thermal energy◦ Heats a fluid traveling through pipes to collect

energy◦ Often consists of a heat exchanger so the fluid in

the pipes doesn’t need to be potable◦ Heat exchanger transfers heat from heated

medium to water◦ Collector unit covered by glass to keep out the

elements

Potential Customers◦ Drivers

◦ Residential property/People with Driveways

◦ Apartment Complexes

◦ Businesses with parking lots

◦ Restaurants, stores, companies

◦ Electric Vehicle Charging

◦ City governments

Wants and needs of customers

◦ Little change: need things to be like the “old way”

◦ Smooth ride

◦ Quick construction

◦ Integrity must be same or better to asphalt (no potholes, less hot, etc)

◦ Safety during crashes

◦ Save Money

◦ Provide energy to the surrounding buildings

◦ Provide entirety of Hot Water requirements

◦ Be equally or more durable than the surfaces that are being replaced

◦ Must be suitable for driving

◦ Must not require large amounts of time or money in upkeep

Effectiveness

Survey Takers◦ College Students

◦ Co-Workers

Why?

- easy information source - represents common Americans and their needs - progressive minds

Lower cost of electricity

Lower Cost of Hot Water

Research of Customer Wants◦ use data collected from already existing solar roadways

◦ Tourouvre au Perche in Normandy◦ solar bike path in Amsterdam

◦ Find average sizes of parking lots so that people can park comfortably

◦ Find requirements for amount of water that needs to be heated

◦ Secondary Literature review: see sources at end of Presentation

◦ review of similar products and current news to develop basis of our project, build upon design specifications of existing companies, and discover new ideas

Assumptions● Size of parking lot to fit 50 cars (100

people)○ 13,275 ft^2= 1,234 m^2

● Constant solar availability across globe: 6 kWh/m^2/day

● Photovoltaic efficiency: 15%● Thermal collector efficiency: 90%● Average cost electricity: $0.20/ kWh. ● Average use of electricity: 120,000

kWh/house/year● Average cost water heating: $50/month● Average use water heating

○ 35 gallons/day/person

Assumptions

◦ Missouri land (including installation): 12 x 24 patch of solar road: $100,000◦ $11.6 Billion/ square mile◦ $4,500/ m^2

◦ Tax Credits and Incentives◦ 30 percent rebate

◦ Electric heat pump water heater with an energy factor of at least 2.0: $300 rebate◦ 3,000 kWh/ 70 meters/ year harvested

◦ 43 kWh/ meter/year where solar availability is 4.3 kWh/m^2/day ◦ 59.8 kWh/meter/year where solar availability is 6.0 kWh/m^2/day

◦ Produce 73,793.2 kWh/ year for our parking lot

Cost Analysis

ROI Initial cost: $5,553,000

Tax rebates: $1,665,900

Total Investment: 3,887,100

We predict a ROI in 13-20 years. This is dependent upon the specific needs of the customer

After becoming more common, our ROI could decrease to approximately 5 years

Impact on SocietyWith the installation of solar panels in more areas, renewable energy would become more commonplace in our society, encouraging cheaper and more efficient products.

Impact on the EnvironmentInstalling solar panels is one of the cleanest methods of obtaining energy. Solar panels allow energy to be obtained without the negative impacts associated with conventional forms of energy like the burning of fossil fuels.

- no greenhouse gas emission: alleviate climate change - save the lives of animals crossing roads - utilize wasted energy

Impact on the EconomyThe purpose of solar panels is to generate electricity for surrounding structures. Installing solar panels in areas previously unused will only lower the cost of energy for homes and businesses, allowing them to spend that money in other ways.

Implementing solar panels in areas previously thought to be impossible will promote further research into solar panels and other forms of renewable energy. This way renewable energy can continue to expand to become a main source of energy.

Impact on Future Technology

Sources◦ http://www.solarroadways.com/Home/Specifics◦ http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Roads-Final.pdf◦ https://globalroadtechnology.com/road-construction/◦ https://www.britannica.com/technology/road◦ http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9615-129011--,00.html◦ http://www.environmentalscience.org/roads◦ https://www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-roads-highways-and-bridges◦ https://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/12/worlds-first-solar-road-opens-in-france/◦ http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00265.1◦ https://solarenergylocal.com/states/missouri/normandy/◦ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/chasing-genius-solar-roadways/◦ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2016/03/160310-will-we-soon-be-riding-on-solar-roads/◦ https://www.thermalfluidscentral.org/encyclopedia/index.php/Solar_thermal_energy_collectors◦ https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/average-electricity-prices-kwh.html