Da Gadgetz

Ever drive on the highway and think about how much solar energy is wasted on the asphalt below? Apparently, so has Solar Roadways. The startup was awarded a $100,000 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant this week to prototype its Solar Road Panel–an energy-generating panel made from solar cells and glass that is meant to replace petroleum-based asphalt on roads and in parking lots.The panels, designed by Solar Roadways founder Scott Brusaw, contain embedded LED lights that might eventually act as a “smart” system, providing travel lines as well as timely warnings to drivers about roadblocks and wildlife up ahead. At the same time, embedded heating elements in the panels could prevent snow and ice from building up on the road.Once a prototype is complete, Solar Roadways still has a long ways to go before its technology is commercialized. But if and when it is, Brusaw estimates that covering the entire U.S. interstate highway system with his 12′ by 12′ panels could fulfill the country’s energy needs (based on each panel producing 7.6 kilowatt hours of power each day).

Scientists at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have found a new way to generate electricity for the masses without adding a single step of carbon footprint to the earth simply by tethering a 10 square meter kite to a generator. This move is able to generate up to 10 kilowatts of power - more than enough juice to power 10 homes. Taking this idea and enlarging it, the same team of scientists hope to use a 50 kilowatt kite and a 100 megawatt array dubbed the Laddermill, hoping that this will eventually power 100,000 homes - all without the risk of a nuclear power plant blowing up. I wonder what happens when these kites are covered in lightweight solar panels?