Solar PV Roadway
People have been talking about building roads out of solar panels since long before I developed an interest in renewable energy.
As in anything else, the issues surround cost. Money is saved in the mounting; one could say that this is the ultimate ground-mount. Moreover, it’s a great use of space. This happens to be a one-kilometer stretch; if it’s 10 meters wide, that’s 10K square meters (~2.5 acres) we don’t need to rent from the guy who owns the field to the right.
But how much extra money goes into to the panels themselves and their installation to prevent damage from the beating they’ll receive from the traffic?
Other considerations include the passing shadows from the vehicles, the electrical gadgetry associated with a long strip of PV vs. a more traditional rectangle.
I am pretty sure that in the long run it pays for itself. That being said this is the first that’s been done to my knowledge… Any original Facebook post that you referred me to this post of yours. All your comments are addressing it should be looked at. I suspect it’s not as complicated as you think. And by the way you could have photovoltaics along the highway but not on some farmers land, on the freeway especially we are not supposed to get off you can use it as the posts or the wall. I have seen a stretch of highway in Austria that had PV. I thought it was great. For me I think all the lights that we see on the freeways are a waste of money and energy and pollution is caused by it. But if people have to have lights the PV could power them.