Using Roads as Solar Collectors
Oct
01
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It seems like people are coming up with new ideas to harness energy from the sun every other day. WPI’s recent discovery differs in that it wouldn’t take up any new real estate, the infrastructure is already in place. Their idea is use the roads and parking lots that are being heated by the sun daily as heat collectors. They plan to mix highly conductive aggregates like quartzite with the concrete to conduct even more heat and place heat exchangers beneath to extract the heat captured. That heat could be used to heat water for surrounding buildings, industrial processes or to just be turned into electricity. Worcester Polytechnic Institutes idea sounds the be the most promising we’ve heard in while. Seamless integration into our everyday lives might well be the determining factor of our world’s future energy decisions. And we’ve got a lot of roads. [via GreenUpGrader]
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