How well would they stand up to snow plows, ice heave, etc.?
An interesting idea, but may also suffer from distance-to-user issues.
Oh, nice idea ... until the roads get ripped up for traffic lights, telephone and sewage lines, water pipes, base settlement, gas lines, new turn lanes, bridges, ......
I like the idea, but agree with you. These things wouldn’t stand a chance against snow plows.
Would that panel absorb such abuse? Not to mention de-icer corrosion and sand abrasion.
SolarRoadways is designed for a 250,000 pound load and have heating elements to keep the road snow & ice free.
I think they’ll handle a snow plow rumbling across them to get to asphalt that hasn’t yet been replaced.
As for the ice heave, they will have mastic between the panels which will help guide the run-off into the drainage channels to either side instead of getting underneath the panels, which will be mounted to the existing road surface wherever possible (upcycle what’s there).
Finally, the distance issue is really a non-issue. Most of the power produced within cities and towns will be consumed by immediately adjacent buildings. What power that needs to be transmitted could be either inverted into AC or converted to High-voltage DC.