The big problems are durability and cleanliness. It’s got to be able to take a massive beating, and find a way for the sun to still get to it after thousands of cars have left their dirt on it. And I think the cleanliness will be the hardest one to solve, it’s amazing how dirty roads are. They put in decorative cross walks in downtown Tucson a decade or so ago, used colored bricks, really pretty for about 6 months, then they grey started hitting them hard, by the end of the first year they’re basically invisible, you can see the texture of the bricks but they’re the same color as the rest of the road. No way solar panels will work with that much grunge on them.
There’s truth in what you say. I have noticed how dirty roadways are. Let me ask you this. If these roadways operated at 1/3rd optimal rating, they would supply the energy needs for the nation, would that be a bad thing?
At full rating, they supposedly would provide enough energy to supply the nation’s needs three times. Folks make a lot of wild claims, so this is for what it’s worth.
That is the coloring dye fading/wearing out. The technology to dye the concrete has changed so it lasts longer now.