Have you ever had an idea for an invention, a kitchen gadget for example, only to see it being sold a few weeks later on a TV infomercial?

Well this sort of thing happens to me more than I’d like.  Maybe it’s a sign of some kind of collective consciousness where my brain receptors have picked up these “ideas” from others out there in the cosmos. Maybe others are pillaging my original ideas by the same method. Maybe I’m just lazy. I guess we’ll never know for sure. But whatever the case may be, it’s struck again. And this time on a more grandiose scale than a breakthrough in closet shoe storage.

Actually, the idea is that our nation’s roadways and parking lots have the potential to become a big player in the solar game.  Black asphalt roadways and lots absorb and hold a substantial amount of heat. They also reflect a good amount of heat, causing the problem known in cities as the “heat island” effect.

A team made up of students and professors at Worchester Polytechnic Institute and UMass have set out to harness this potential energy source. They’ve been experimenting with various systems that transfer this heat to water  flowing through pipes beneath the roadways. This water can then be used for heating purposes or industrial applications. It can also be sent to a thermoelectric generator to be turned into electricity. The team has also been looking at ways to maximize absorption through special coatings and boost the conductivity of concrete with additives like quartzite.

It’s still too early to see how successful this concept will become, but I’m optimistic. Roadways are typically refinished every 10-12 years, so there would certainly be opportunities for these solar “retrofits” to take place. However, if current highway improvement timelines are any indication, we might all be dead then. Take that Highway Department….ZING!