How Safe are Solar Panel Roads? In this blog post we’re going to have a look at the safety of the emerging technology of Solar Panel Roads and determine if this technology is reliable and safe for everyday use in the world. “Safety First is Safety Always” – Charles M. Hayes It goes without saying that an emerging technology can only come to fruition if its safety factors are taken into consideration. We could never introduce solar panel roads without taking a look at the safety factors. That would be a recipe for disaster, no matter how badly we may like the idea! In an interview in 2014 with Greentech Media, research engineer Eric Weaver said that safety of solar panel roads ‘was the biggest unknown’. Regular roads are made from asphalt, consisting mainly of gravel and tar. This substance is ideal for providing rubber tires with enough traction to safely stay on the roads. It remains a question if it would be suitable and safe to replace asphalt with silicon-based solar panels. Also, it seems to be unknown if solar panels could maintain the weight of vehicles and traffic passing along them (GreentechMedia, 2018). “Imagine driving on a road surfaced with glass in a rainstorm. That’s an accident waiting to happen” - (EnergySage, 2019) Let’s face it, nobody would be willing to drive on glass in a rainstorm. This raises questions as to if solar panel roads are safe enough for our vehicles to move along. One suggestion made was to texturize the solar panels so that rubber tires could get a better grip on the roads. On the other hand, this could ultimately reduce the effectiveness of the solar panels (EnergySage, 2019). Don't forget to like us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! References Used
EnergySage, 2019. Solar roadways: what you need to know. [Online] Available at: https://news.energysage.com/solar-roadways-what-you-need-to-know/ [Accessed 27 February 2020]. GreentechMedia, 2018. Solar Roadways Prove Expensive and Inefficient. [Online] Available at: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-roadways-are-expensive-and-inefficient [Accessed 27 February 2020].
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |