MANTHAN TOPIC:

ENSURING WORLD CLASS CIVIC

AMENITIES IN URBAN INDIA

SMART SOLAR HIGHWAY SYSTEM A ROADWAY TO ELECTRICITY…

Team Details:

R.Varun Reddy

M.Shivaram

Y.V.V.Vinay Kumar

S.D.Naidu

K.Saideep

S ope of the road pro le

The present power generated could not meet the demands of the growing population so there

is a need for an alternative.

Massive hike of the prices of petroleum products causing paucity of asphalt .

Green house gases released during the combustion of fossil fuels are the major causes for

pollution.

Improper Lighting on highways during night lead to accidents.

The main cause of Global Warming is

creation of electricity by fossil fuels

which will contribute to production of

Green house gases and effect on ozone

layer.

The figure shows the percentage of

Green house gas emission due to the

combustion of fossil fuels.

About 68.14% of the total electricity is

generated by using fossil fuels which

account the major part of the Green

house gases.

About 28% of greenhouse gases come

from the exhaust pipes of internal

combustion engine vehicles.

Solar energy generation potential along national highways

The solution to the above problems is a Solar Roadway which is a structurally-engineered solar panels

that are driven upon.

The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads ,parking slots and driveways with Solar

Road panels that collect energy to be used by our homes and industries.

The renewable energy generated by solar road panels will replace the current need for fossil fuel which

is used for generation of Electricity and also oil used for driving the vehicles which in turn reduces the

greenhouse gases nearly to half. Which pays for itself

The Solar Roadway generates electrical power from the sun and becomes our nations decentralized,

secure, intelligent, self-healing power grid which pays for itself. So it’s time to upgrade our infrastructure with the 21st century technology i.e., “Solar Roadways” .

The Solar Roadway produces clean, renewable energy. No pollution, no greenhouse gases, no by-

products and the Solar Road panels are completely recyclable or reusable.

S.No Asphalt Roads Solar Roadways

1. Cost for laying a

square foot

$16 $48($16*3)

2. Cost for laying a

mile(Four lane)

$4,055,040 $12,163,200

3. Life Time 7-10 years 25-30 years

4. Power Generated NIL 13,376 KWh/day

(one mile)

• For an accurate cost comparison between current systems and the Solar Roadway

system, you’d have to combine the costs of asphalt roads, power plants, and power and data delivery systems (power poles and relay stations) to be compatible with the

Solar Roadway system, which provides all three.

• The amount of power generated by a 300MW power station is equivalent to a 22

kilometre Solar Roadway.

Solar Roads might revolutionize the highway system, environment and power grid

At just 15% efficiency, far below what is expected, a 100% Solar Roadways enabled driving

infrastructure would produce three times total electricity demand.

The Solar Roadway, being an “Electric road”, will also make all-electric vehicles more practical;

recharging stations can be placed on the highway and in all parking slots which in turn reduces the

greenhouse gases nearly to half.

Accidents drastically reduced unlike the dark roads we drive on by night today, the Solar Roadway will

have LEDs which will ‘paint’ the lane, which can reduce the night time accidents by 70%. The LEDs can also be programmed to move along with cars at the speed limit and it gives warning to the drivers

instantly when they are driving too fast or the speed of the car increases beyond the speed limit.

The Solar Roadways on the other hand, replaces all current centralized power stations including coal

and nuclear-powered electricity generation plants. With the Solar Roadway, the road becomes the power

grid, eliminating the need for unsightly utility poles and relay stations.

The life span of the Solar roads is around 30-40 years, much greater than normal asphalt roads , which

only last 7-12 years.

Solar Roadways Light the way for future Infrastructure

• The Solar Roadway is divided into three basic layers:-

1.Road Surface Layer:

As this is the top most layers of the assembly & also from this layer the solar rays will reach up-

to the photovoltaic cells; they should be translucent and high-strength. The surface layer consists of many

small hexagonal prisms so that the entire sunlight enters through it to the solar collector photovoltaic cells

embedded within it. And it is tough enough for handling today’s heaviest loads under the worst conditions and it is made water-proof so that it can protect the electronics layer beneath it.

2.Electronics Layer :

It contains a microprocessor board with support circuitry for sensing loads on the surface. The

on-board microprocessor controls lighting, communications, monitoring etc. which can prove the Solar

Roadway as an “Intelligent Highway System”.

Solar Roadways :Powering the world of Tomorrow

• 3.Base Plate Layer:

While the Electronics layer collects

energy from the sun, it is the base plate layer that

distributes power and data signals “down-line” to all homes and industries connected to the Solar

Roadway. The base layer is made weatherproof so

that it can provide the electronic layer above it.

E ploy e t a d Fu di g Strategies

• It will create as many as 10 lakhs new jobs that it may very well become the "New Deal" of the 21st century. We can retrain workers from obsolete jobs such as coal miners and asphalt workers with new "Green Collar" jobs. Unemployment rates will plummet.

• The cost for laying Solar Roadways is thrice is thrice that of Asphalt roads but the lifetime of Solar Roadways is 3-4 times the lifetime of asphalt roads.

Funding Strategies :

• The centralised authority is the government and encourages more private investment .

• All the industries which are in need of electricity are the major investors in the construction of Solar Roadways and in return the required electricity is supplied to these industries at a lower cost.

• The major amount of the budget released by the government to the power sector can be utilised for this project.

High ay for u li ited po er

Impact and Reach:

• At just 15% efficiency ,far below what is expected,

a 100% Solar Roadways enabled driving

infrastructure would produce three times total

electricity demand.

• One kilometre Solar Roadway can generate 20,000

kilo watt hours per day which can power 1000

homes.

• It can reduce 50% greenhouse gases and about 70%

accidents that occur in the night time.

• Daily use of petroleum worldwide is 35 million

barrels a day which can be reduced to a maximum

extend by replacing the Fuel Vehicles with Electric

Vehicles by using Solar Roadways.

• As the Electricity generated is approximately three

times the present electricity so there is no problem

of Scalability.

It s etter late tha e er, so let s go Gree er

Challenges and Mitigation Factors:

• The initial investment is high but it can be recovered within a period of 10 years but there will no use of

fossil fuels so no pollution, no Greenhouse houses and no by-products and the solar panels are

completely recyclable and reusable.

• The existing infrastructure have to be replaced by the Solar Roadways but the lifetime is quite high.

• During the construction of Solar Roadways it may cause some inconvenience to the public but it can be

avoided by creating an awareness among the public about the future uses.

Conclusion:

We can’t wait any longer for the replacement of the oil, which is rapidly disappearing. We have the technology to solve this problem in a relatively short period of time.

In developing countries the major part of geographical area is to be explored in terms of road

connectivity. So instead of implementing the higher targets roads to be developed per day, such countries

can reduce the target and develop Solar Road so they could improve economy with infrastructure.

Appendix

References:

• New Energy Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University,

Taipei ,Taiwan.

• Solar Roadway at Tedx by Scott Brucesaw.

• “Bonner County Daily” Bee by Keith Kinnaird.

• “They Really Do own the Road” Time Magazine by Barbara kiviat, October 29,2007.