Idea

Solar panel shading structures covering highways and roads

Image credit: KOA campground

Darko Savic Sep 08, 2020

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Solar panel shading structures over highways and roads.

Why?

Three is no shortage of highways and roads anywhere in the world. By covering all or parts of them with solar panel shading structures, the benefits are:
increased solar power production without using space that can otherwise be used to host life (agriculture, housing, forests)
additional use of otherwise "dead" space
reduced road decay because of shading
reduced need for air cooling while driving
if in the future the structures are no longer needed, the components (steel, glass) are fully recyclable 
What are the potential downsides to this idea?

Who needs to see this idea to make a good prototype and publicize the hell out of it? Then hopefully electricity-producing roads can become standard practice in the world.

solar energy photovoltaics

Creative contributions

Canals!

Spook Louw Mar 30, 2021

That is a great idea, another similar idea, with perhaps an even more symbiotic nature, is covering canals with solar panels. 
The coverage prevents evaporation, which can save billions of gallons of water annually, while the water running beneath the panels will cool them, making them more effective as well!

There have been a couple of articles on this idea     

Sadly though, I have not really seen it implemented outside of India.     

[1]https://www.ecowatch.com/solar-panels-california-canals-2651172983.html

[2]https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200803-the-solar-canals-revolutionising-indias-renewable-energy

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Shireesh Apte3 years ago

How would you recharge solar powered cars?

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Darko Savic3 years ago

Shireesh Apte For the time being it's more practical to have battery-powered cars because photovoltaic tech is not yet efficient enough to power them. The solar arrays over highways would be plenty strong to power battery charging stations 

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Rechargeable concrete battery

Darko Savic May 24, 2021

This was inspired by Juran's contribution. 

A rechargeable cement-based battery was developed, with an average energy density of 7 Wh/m2 (or 0.8 Wh/L) during six charge/discharge cycles.      It would be amazing if this technology could be further developed to store electricity in the road pavement itself. Then the roads could store electricity that is generated by the photovoltaic panels above.

Tripple use of the road real estate:
driving
energy production
energy storage

[1]https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/11/3/103

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Darko Savic4 years ago

Also, various kinetic batteries could be placed anywhere alongside the power-producing roads:

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Construct sections in the field and move them over the road to minimize traffic disturbance

Darko Savic Feb 21, 2022

To minimize the disturbance to traffic, construct entire sections elsewhere (in the field nearby) then hoist them over the road at night when the traffic is low.
With a good system, the road would be closed for a few minutes at a time.

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Could be achieved if done in segments.

VAIBHAV KUMAR Sep 19, 2021

Considering the downside Darko Savic have mentioned, with reference to the scalability of the project. 
What better could be done is to start small. Like providing Solar Umbrella on the sidewalk or inside a park. And analyse the benefits it is providing to society in terms of sustainable development and direct benefits to the people.     
This small-small solar setup would mentally lay off the burden of laying down a huge project at once.  it would be more efficient if it is done in small segments.     
Target the areas where there is a regular commute of people so that we could get the feedback of the actual audience and it would come as a huge appreciation since it would provide them with the ease of commute on hot summer days.
It is a great idea for a green planet. 

[1]https://9to5toys.com/2021/08/21/songmics-9-foot-solar-patio-umbrella-2/

[2]https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empty_selfie_point_in_new_normal_days_in_Connaught_Place,_New_Delhi_during_COVID-19_pandemic_in_Delhi_IMG_20210210_095334.jpg

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General comments

Marco Agudeloa year ago

Having in mind this brainstorming session:
article

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Jerry Tvrdek4 years ago

Downsides I can think of:

There is a necessary clearance for most bridges and this clearance has to be maintained across the whole system in order for trucks and heavy machinery to flow through. Let's estimate the clearance is 4 meters, that means all the beams supporting this structure will have to be 4 meters tall as well. This means more material needed for the supporting beams, which when scaled, will add a lot of cost. 

The structures will make it harder to follow road signs as they visually interfere with the observable area. 

The traffic generates a lot of dust which will settle on the solar panels.

I've mentioned the clearance. How do you replace a panel which is 4 meters high? Where do the maintenance workers park their car on a busy highway? How do they get up there? What about the energy for the tools they need? Where do they park a crane?

What you are solving:
Increased solar power production without using space that can otherwise be used to host life (agriculture, housing, forests) – this is more of an aesthetical problem than a real problem. There is enough space for solar panels, they don't have to be concentrated around a specific infrastructure or area.
Additional use of otherwise "dead" space – The space is not dead. It is occupied by road signs and bridges. 
Reduced road decay because of shading – the price of building and maintaining such structures probably vastly exceeds a new layer of tarmac.
Reduced need for air cooling while driving – there is not really a need for this when driving, as most cars have a/c
if in the future the structures are no longer needed, the components (steel, glass) are fully recyclable – this is not really a benefit.

In general, seems like a cool sci-fi idea that to fall in love with but in reality will be mostly unfeasable. However, it makes a lot of sense on parking lots.

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Vishal Chamling4 years ago

Superb idea. The only potential downside I can think of right now is the installation cost and magnitude of the project. 

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Muhammad M Rahman4 years ago

This is a great idea for generating energy but how about running solar panels on lane separating barriers along the highway instead? This would not hinder the view when driving and at the same time, if angled correctly and positioned accordingly you could still generate electricity in the night from car headlights.

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Martina Pesce4 years ago

The only downside I can think about is the eventual risk of ruining a panoramic view. In many countries (for example Spain, France, and Italy, but I am sure there must be many more) there are some stunningly beautiful panoramic highways, which would be a pity to esthetically ruin with these big constructions.
"Luckily", not all highways are so beautiful, so the rest should totally be covered by this beautiful idea.