Technology start-up turning heads

SANDPOINT — Recent award nominations and other accolades are paving the way to a bright future for Solar Roadways.

The Sagle-based technology start-up project has turned the heads of innovators and transportation officials alike with its radical goals. As company founders, Scott and Julie Brusaw see a future where the both the nation’s energy and transportation systems are supported through a single piece of technology: the solar roadway panel.

According to Scott Brusaw, a nationwide network of Solar Roadways could have the potential to meet U.S. energy needs many times over while serving as an effective transportation system. It’s an idea that has earned Solar Roadways intense interest and media attention over the past three years.

“We’ve been doing a lot of speaking engagements lately,” Brusaw said.

Most recently, Solar Roadways was a finalist in the World Technology Awards. While the project lost to Mike Adams, a research professor in biochemistry and molecular biology for the University of Georgia, Brusaw said he was still excited for the exposure and prestige the nomination provided.

The Brusaws also recently met with Google officials in Mountain View, Calif., where they got a ride in the company’s prototype driverless car and received a tour of facilities. It’s just one of several past associates with the Internet giant — Google featured Solar Roadways as one of its “Moonshot” innovations and invited Brusaw to speak at their Solve For X event. Solar Roadways have even had conversations with NASA officials, who are interested in Solar Roadways-powered parking for a space shuttle.  

The exciting developments follow a productive year in tweaking the Solar Roadways prototype. The model has since been altered from a square 12-by-12-foot panel to a hexagon shape, making the design more feasible for mass production. Meanwhile, university testing for load bearing and impact resistance passed with flying colors, while friction tests indicate the textured glass can stop a truck going 80 mph on slick surfaces within an acceptable distance.

“I kept changing up the texture, and they told us, “You have to back off — you broke our machine!” Brusaw said.

Solar Roadways has so far been funded through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration. With the grant set to expire next year, Brusaw says he’ll be seeking out investors and is also considering a Kickstarter campaign. In the meantime, he’s focusing on installing the prototype parking lot, which is nearing completion. He plans to unveil it for media and news outlets this spring.    

The Solar Roadways panel looks deceptively simple, but the engineering is actually quite precise and intricate. The heart of the design is an electronics layer which features embedded solar collector cells, an LED light board for painting traffic lines or messages on the road, a heating element for melting snow and ice and microprocessors to handle commands from a traffic controller. A base plate layer houses all the required wiring and is suitable for networking Internet, cable and phone services. Finally, the top layer is designed to withstand the rigor and wear required from any major highway. For that purpose, Brusaw selected a high-strength textured glass that supplies the necessary friction for vehicle traffic while still allowing sunlight through to the solar cells.