Problems blizzards and extreme weather that hit many countries have given the idea of utilizing solar energy to melt the snow that blanketed the highway. Currently, the two different solar- powered road systems are being developed to be able to clean the roads from snow as well as the possibility of providing a power source.
Sunlight is abundant on the highway to give ideas to Rajib Mallick, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to use a pipe filled with freeze-resistant liquid which will be heated by the sun. Hot liquid will be stored in an isolated room and will be used to melt snow when the road is closed by snow. The heating fluid also claimed could generate electricity for adjacent buildings.
Mallick estimates that the project will spend up to $ 12,500 for each 50 meters of pipe and about $ 1,000 per year for maintenance. But according to him, the system will be able to pay for itself for six months as well as generate electricity to heat about 55 homes for one month of the year.
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