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Solar Roadways

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Solar Roadways
Imagine a world with safer roads. A world where the roads would warn you of dangers with LED lights, have heaters to melt snow, generate electricity, and overall benefit the economy. Scott Brusaw, an electrical engineer, and his wife, Julie Brusaw, a counselor, are the Co-Inventors of Solar Roadways. Solar roadways are a series of structurally engineered solar panels that can be driven on, which would replace asphalt roads. Solar Roadways would collect energy and then distribute it to our homes and businesses in order to replace the need for fossil fuels and better the economy.

This past February, four students at North Dakota State University were killed in a car crash during a snowstorm. They were driving back from Minneapolis, Minnesota after visiting their families for Christmas break. That night, the weather reported heavy snow, strong winds, and slippery roads. One of the four students killed was Danielle Renninger. After the crash, the Huffington Post interviewed Danielle’s father where, while trying to hold back tears, he said, “We had the most amazing weekend. She was so thankful for life. She was making comments about how wonderful her life is. It was just so strange, thinking of it now.”

Crashes like these happen too often not to do anything about it, which is why the United States should invest in the pavement of roads with Solar Roadways. Solar Roadways would save many lives with their built in snow management, illuminated roads, and warning of wildlife ahead. They would also help clean up the environment and benefit the economy.

This is how they will work:

“Each individual panel consists of three basic layers:
Road Surface Layer - translucent and high-strength, it is rough enough to provide great traction, yet still passes sunlight through to the solar collector cells embedded within, along with LEDs and a heating element. It is capable of handling today's heaviest loads under the worst of conditions. Weatherproof, it protects the



Cited: Biello, David. "Driving on Glass? Inventor Hopes to Lay Down Solar Roads: Scientific American." Driving on Glass? Inventor Hopes to Lay Down Solar Roads: Scientific American (2012): n. pag. Scientific American. 06 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. . Brusaw, Scott, perf. Scott Brusaw on Solar Roadways. Rec. 2012. GE, n.d. GE. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. . "How Solar Panel Highways Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. .  "Introduction." Solar Roadways -. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .  Patterson, Thom. "Solar-powered 'smart ' Roads Could Zap Snow, Ice." CNN. Cable News Network, 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .  Raftery, Miriam. "ROAD TO EVERYWHERE: SOLAR ROADWAYS." East County Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .  "Roads." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .  ScienceDaily. Rep. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. . Shoemaker-Galloway, Jace (September 8, 2009). "DOT Awards $100K for Super-Smart Solar Roadways Prototype". Energyboom.com. Retrieved 2012-04-15. " 'Smart Highway ' Concept Glows in the Dark, Generates Energy." MSN Autos (blog). N.p., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. .  "This Is What a Solar Roadway Looks Like." Fast Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. . Wu, M.S., H.H. Huang, B.J. Huang, C.W. Tang, and C.W. Cheng. "Economic Feasibility of Solar-powered Led Roadway Lighting." Renewable Energy 34.8 (2009): 1934-938. Print.

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