Winter after winter of salt and heavy machinery can cripple cement roads. Cracks and potholes are always growing in number, and billions of government dollars are spent each year on keeping urban streets clear – yet, no clear solutions have been discussed until now. An electrical engineer by the name of Scott Brusaw has devised a way to keep roads clear of ice, snow, and other harmful precipitation. But that’s not all – Brusaw believes his plan could even eliminate the need for fossil fuels.
Brusaw’s plan consists of a system of glass, solar cells, and LED signals, and would eliminate the need for heavy salting, plow trucks, and other costly snow removal equipment. Powered by solar cells built under an extremely durable skin of glass, the solar highway would save countless hours of labor and resources. What’s more, Brusaw believes that his solar roads can be used as a viable energy source. In a country with over three million miles of highways, the solar highway invention seems to be a no-brainer.
Here’s the link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/01/19/smart.roads/index.html
