Solar Roadways

Solar Roadways Incorporated is an American company based in Sandpoint, Idaho, aiming to develop solar-powered road panels to form a smart highway.

[5] In 2009, Solar Roadways received a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) for Phase I to determine the feasibility of the proposed project.

[15] The 30 tiles in Sandpoint generated power which was fed into the electricity meter at Jeff Jones Town Square, averaging around ¼ kWh per day during their most productive month, August 2018.

LEDs in certain colors started to fade unexpectedly, and snow caused problems for the heating elements because of the metal strips which cover the gap between the panels.

[3] Phil Mason, a British chemist who runs a YouTube vlog, made a similar argument about cost in June 2014 adding his doubts about traction on a glass surface.

[24] Solar Roadways conducted its own lab tests using a British Pendulum Skid Resistance Tester and said that the results suggested that the texture was "sufficient to stop a vehicle going 80 mph (130 km/h) on a wet surface in the required distance".

[25] US Department of Transportation engineer Eric Weaver commented on those tests in August 2014, saying, "We can't say that it would be safe for roadway vehicular traffic.

Solar Roadway panel prototypes