What is it about?
The hybrid road is a multilayered pavement composed by a semi-transparent top layer made of glass aggregates bonded together thanks to a resin, an electrical layer containing the solar cells, a porous asphalt layer for the circulation of the calorific fluid, and finally, a base waterproof layer.
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Why is it important?
The hybrid road provides a novel function to the road infrastructure: exploiting the road network for the energy harvesting. The hybrid road can generate electricity and, at the same time, harvest heat energy through the heat-transfer fluid, pumped into the porous asphalt.
Perspectives
The hybrid road shows a good potential as technology for the energy harvesting through the road network. In perspective, the hybrid road could help to contrast the heat-island effect, exploit the harvested energy to run a heat pump for heating purposes, or facilitate the road deicing during winter.
Domenico Vizzari
University Gustave Eiffel
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Thermal Behavior of a Novel Solar Hybrid Road for Energy Harvesting, Journal of Testing and Evaluation, November 2022, ASTM International,
DOI: 10.1520/jte20220283.
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