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Jul/090
Solar Energy Eliminates Ice
The Missouri Department of Transportation has signed a contract with Pave Guard Technologies of Lee’s Summit to install solar warming systems on two bridges near St. Louis, one of the state’s four largest cities.
The move makes Missouri one of the first states to use solar energy to fight ice road/bridge/overpass conditions, the leading cause of winter vehicle accidents. In fact, 52 percent of U.S. deaths are caused by accidents, and motor vehicle accidents account for 37.5 percent of this total.
The solar warming systems operate very similar to radiant heating systems in a building’s flooring, delivering heat from the bottom that gently radiates throughout a structure. Pave Guard’s particular technology is classed as proprietary, though sources say it involves a heated, antifreeze-type solution pumped through tubing below the road surface, with the heat provided by solar energy.
In any case, the solution to rid bridges of ice is a lot more environmentally friendly than salt, a lot less destructive of car finishes than sand, and decidedly more proactive than waiting for road crews to go out in the morning before setting off for work – a situation most Minnesotans take for granted in recessionary times.
The two bridge’s subsurface upgrades – both on Route 10, one on each side of Excelsior Springs in Clay and Ray counties – are part of the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDot’s) “Safe and Sound” bridge improvement program aimed at repairing or replacing more than 800 of the state’s most dangerous bridges by the winter of 2013.
Bridge retrofitting will begin in 2010, using a system which is the brainchild of Corey McDonald, whose 1996 experience with a blizzard led to the development of Pave Guard’s technology using solar photovoltaic electricity to prevent ice buildup.
Pave Guard’s technology isn’t the only one available that offers outdoor ice and snow solutions via radiant heating, but it is the only one that currently uses solar PV energy to solve the equation. The other benefit of Pave Guard’s system is that the electricity can be also be used to illuminate “treated” bridges, or sold back to the grid when not needed to prevent ice buildup.
In addition, the system is automated. When temperatures fall to 38 degrees or less, the heating mechanism is activated. The solar panels are waterproofed so they don’t freeze over, and the panels are created to gather insolation across the entire spectrum, including UV lights on cloudy days.
MoDot hopes to use the first two installations to determine how cost-effective the application will be, and how well they eliminate ice before proceeding with other bridges, overpasses and dangerous intersections.
About the Author
Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar panel resources and solar energy page contains articles and tools to help with your solar project.
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