The far-out idea of replacing America’s asphalt roads with solar panels apparently has plenty of appeal. The Solar Roadways IndieGoGo campaign has raised some $1.5 million to use towards research and development of this cutting-edge solution to our world’s environmental woes.
Designed by Scott and Julie Brusaw’, the IndieGoGo page has undergone a radical transformation since its debut over a month ago, including an over-the-top video that has garnered some 6 million views since debuting a little over a week ago. That viral hit helped Solar “FREAKIN” Roadways surpass its $1 million goal by some 50%…and there’s still 3 more days left to donate.
Of course, $1.5 million isn’t going to convert all of America’s highways to sun-absorbing, message-flashing, easily-replaceable Solar Roadways. In fact, the Brusaws haven’t been too specific on their plans for the cash, though the project has been in work for a number of years, and the money could go towards hiring a few engineers and a marketing team to get the word out even more.
There are supposedly buyers lined already, and the most obvious next step would be a full-scale pilot project at, say, a Taco Bell parking lot somewhere in the southwest. If the Solar Roadways really could pay for themselves, and generate electricity along America’s millions of miles of roadways, it’s not inconcievable that we could solve a number of energy and environmental issues all at once. But at an estimated cost of more than 56 TRILLION dollars to convert every mile of America’s 4 million miles of roadways, it’s a solution decades in the making at best.
Seriously though, is the Taco Bell picture a hint? I mean, the Doritos Locos Taco was a pretty daring move…why not solar-powered parking lots next?
source: http://gas2.org/2014/05/28/video-solar-roadways-raises-nearly-1-5-million/?utm_source
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