SOLAR ROADS: ARE

THEY FEASIBLE?

Andrew Northmore, MASc, EIT

Susan Tighe, PhD, PEng (Presenting)

Sustainable Conservation – Heading for Harmony

Nova Scotia Energy R&D Conference

May 22, 2014

ABOUT CPATT

• A research partnership studying the state of

Canada’s transportation infrastructure

• Heavily focused on emerging and innovative

technologies

SUSTAINABLE PAVEMENTS

• Traditionally achieved in a number of ways

Using recycled materials

Lowering material processing temperatures

Improving other environmental factors

SOLAR ROAD PANELS

Solar Roadways TNO’s SolaRoad

CPATT & SOLAR ROAD PANELS

• Structural pavement design analysis

Modeling and testing panel designs

Optimizing panel bases made of traditional

pavement materials

• Functional pavement design analysis

Accelerated testing facilities for environmental

conditions

Expertise in roadway safety in terms of friction,

glare production, etc.

WHY SOLAR ROAD PANELS?

PAVEMENT PERSPECTIVE

• Offset Traditional Material Requirements

• Provide Additional Payback from

Infrastructure

• Reduce CO2 Footprint of Pavements

6

WHY SOLAR ROAD PANELS?

ELECTRICAL PERSPECTIVE

• Vast Resource

• Minimize Land Use

• Distributed Generation

• Peak-Shaving Electricity

7

OUR DEFINITION

• Modular solar panels that can withstand the

structural and environmental loads subjected

to pavements

WHAT WE HAVE DONE

• Designed and built a prototype

• Analyzed the prototype structural

performance

• Assessed environmental conditioning and

winter maintenance impacts on transparent

materials

CPATT’S PROTOTYPE

• 2 x 10-mm panes

of tempered glass

• 30-mm GPO-3

fiberglass

• Aluminum frame

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

KEY FINDINGS

• Structural

Prototype design will not fatigue fail

Panel improves the service life of the base it’s

installed on

• Environmental

Glass is the least affected by Canadian winter

conditions, followed by acrylic then

polycarbonate

NEXT STEPS

• Design optimization

• Friction development on a glass surface

• In-situ load testing of a prototype

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

• Norman W. McLeod Chair in Sustainable Pavement Engineering

• University of Waterloo

• En-hui Yang Engineering Research Innovation Award

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

• Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)