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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 6298459" data-attributes="member: 177">They have already had $850K in funding from the US Department of Transportation."In 2009, we received a contract from the Federal Highway Administration to build the first ever Solar Road Panel prototype. During the course of its construction, we learned many lessons and discovered new and better ways to approach this project. These methods and discoveries are discussed throughout this website. Please enjoy and send us any questions that you may have.""After successful completion of the Phase I SBIR contract, we were awarded a follow-up 2-year Phase II $750,000 SBIR contract by the Federal Highway Administration beginning in 2011. With this award, a prototype parking lot will be built and then tested under all weather and sunlight conditions."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_roadway" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_roadway</a><a href="http://www.solarroadways.com/intro.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.solarroadways.com/intro.shtml</a>I think there are enough technological and logistical barriers to doing this on a large scale that we don't have to get into the political commentary (which I will remind everyone is not appropriate for this site).They admit installation costs will be higher than for conventional roadways.  There are also materials and maintenance issues to be considered - your solar roadway is no good if it gets dirty, covered with oil or snow, and all that, or if it won't put up with the wear and tear of cars and trucks for years at a time.  And the sheer number of panel units you'd need to create is astonishing...You know that, at the moment, most solar panel technology isn't chemically clean to produce?  We have to consider if producing these on the truly massive scale required will not be merely trading a carbon pollution problem into a toxic waste problem.I think Hand of Evil is right that home roofing would probably be a better place to start.  And they already exist.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_shingle" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_shingle</a><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/im-getting-my-roof-redone-and-heard-about-solar-shingles/" target="_blank">http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/im-getting-my-roof-redone-and-heard-about-solar-shingles/</a><a href="http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1205726,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1205726,00.html</a></blockquote>

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