User:Econ5470-5/Smart highway

Section 4: Photovoltaic pavement - The main purpose of solar roadways is to replace asphalt roads with Solar Panels which generate energy through the sun that can be used by local houses or businesses that are connected to the system from either the house’s driveway or the businesses parking lot. The panels will also increase the number of charging stations for electric cars if that station is connected to the solar roadway. Each panel is roughly 12’ by 12’ of interlocking panels that have their own LED lights that will be used as the road lines, and can also be used to spell out words like “Reduce Speed” or “Traffic Ahead” to help the flow of traffic.

There are 3 layers that make up the solar panels:

1. The Road Surface Layer - The Road Layer is the High Strength layer that has the photovoltaic cells which attracts the sun’s rays, it has traction so vehicles don’t slide of the road, and it’s waterproof to protect the layers below.

2. The Electronic Layer - The Electronic Layers contain a mini microprocessor board that helps control the heating element of the panels, this technology can help melt the snow that lands on the panels so that hazardous road conditions will no longer be an issue in the more northern regions. This layer can sense how much weight is on the panels and can control the heating element to melt the snow.

3. The Base Plate Layer - The Base Plate Layer is the layer that collects the energy from the sun and distributes the power to the homes or businesses that are connected to the solar roadways. This will also be used to transfer the energy to cars as they drive over the strip to recharge the battery.

Section 4.1: Smart Pavement

Smart Pavement - The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) began testing out “smart pavement” at a rest stop outside of Conway, Missouri along historic Route 66 late in 2016. The pilot program currently covers about 200 square feet of sidewalk at the visitor center and cost $100,000 (Landers), largely subsidized by the Federal Highway Administration. It’s all part of Missouri’s Road to Tomorrow initiative to find new innovations in their transportation infrastructure. Missouri wants to take advantage of these roadways to implement other, related technologies. The panels will heat the road and keep snow and ice from accumulating. They will also feature LED diodes that will increase the visibility of road lines. The LEDs would also double in helping prevent paint from inhibiting solar power generation. The panels have not had enough time to determine durability, energy efficiency, or cost effectiveness in a real world sense yet, so MoDOT has not reach any conclusions about feasibility and future application yet.

Section 5: Wireless vehicle charging

Section 5.1: Electromechanical Batteries

Electromechanical Batteries - Roadway-powered electric vehicle system is the patent held by Howard R. Ross. It has several components. The first of which is an all electric vehicle that would be fit with electromechanical batteries that accept a charge from the road. The road is the second component and would have strategically placed charging coils as to only charge the car when needed. These cars and roads would not require gas or solar power.

Nowhere in the world is an invention like this currently implemented, and this is due to the cost of the infrastructure overhaul that would be needed to bring this patent into reality.

Section 7: Frost protection and melting snow, ice

Section 7.1: Benefits

Section 7.3: Economic Impact

Economic impact - Solar Roadways has changed our lives in a number of ways. To begin, it is imperative to note that through Solar Roadways, a prototype of a solar roadway has been built through placing of solar panels that are highly efficient below “an ultra-durable covering that is strong enough for vehicles to drive upon”. The energy that are gathered from such panels light LED have been useful in melting ice and snow during winter months as well as supplying power to business and homes that are connected to the roadway. As such, it can be argued that the Solar Roadways has changed our lives by providing affordable source of energy to us as well improving the weather situation during the winter seasons.

In addition to that, the Solar Roadways has, and will continue, to have positive economic impacts on the economy of the United States of America. One of the economic positive impacts that Solar Roadways has had in the economy of the United States is the creation of job opportunities. For instance, studies have shown that Solar Roadways has approximated that through installation and building of solar panels in all the United States’ highways, they will be capable of creating close to 2.5 million full – time jobs for about ten years. In addition to that, the solar highway will as well provide clean energy, which it will pay for itself. This indicates that the production cost in the sectors that rely energy as their main factor of production, will be significantly decreased and hence an increase in the economic growth due to an increase in production level.

Conclusion - With these three additions we feel that we could contribute in a solid way to this specific Wikipedia page and the comments that already existed prior.