{"id":2379,"date":"2014-05-14T17:22:19","date_gmt":"2014-05-14T21:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myparkingpermit.com\/blog\/?p=2379"},"modified":"2026-03-25T08:50:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:50:25","slug":"parking-lot-paved-ecoparadise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myparkingpermit.com/blog\/parking-lot-paved-ecoparadise\/","title":{"rendered":"A parking lot paved for ecoparadise"},"content":{"rendered":"

A parking lot doesn\u2019t normally generate attention, except when it\u2019s covered in blue-and-green, hexagonal solar panels. Designed by Julie and Scott Brusaw, the panels may soon power America\u2019s aging energy and road networks if the husband-and-wife team reach the $1 million goal of their Indiegogo campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Concept image of solar roadways, by artists Craig Fine and Sam Cornett<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Launched last month, the campaign is the most recent phase of a multiyear effort from Idaho-based Solar Roadways, the startup founded by the Brusaws. The earliest iteration debuted in 2009, when the company received $100,000 from the Department of Energy to develop solar panels strong enough to withstand heavy vehicle loads and textured enough to provide the traction necessary to stop vehicles in emergency situations. Solar Roadways worked with researchers to then incorporate LED road markers and heating elements into the design, garnering along the way awards from various groups\u2014winning GE\u2019s Ecoimagination Challenge in 2011, for example\u2014and funding from the US Federal Highway Administration.<\/p>\n

Today Solar Roadways believes its prototype is ready for commercialization. The panels\u2019 hexagonal design allows for better coverage on curves and hills, and the system can store, treat, and redistribute stormwater. The design also has provisions for power and data cables, thus eliminating the need for overhead power lines.<\/p>\n

Scott Brusaw reports that the panels \u201cprevented snow and ice accumulation this past winter and are producing the expected amount of power\u201d or about a 3,600W solar array. That\u2019s impressive, given that the US has more than 72,000 square kilometers of asphalt and concrete surfaces exposed to the sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we could cover them with our solar road panels,\u201d says Brusaw, \u201cthen we could produce over three times the amount of energy that we use as a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

If his forecast is correct, Solar Roadways\u2019 invention could be revolutionary. \u201cIn the US, roughly half of greenhouse gases are generated by burning fossil fuels to create electricity. Another 25 percent comes out of our tailpipes,\u201d Brusaw continues. \u201cBy replacing coal with solar and making electric vehicles<\/a> practical\u2014which could lead to the end of internal combustion engines\u2014we could theoretically cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n