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Heated Infrastructure in the U.S. -- Possible?
Hi all, I am new here, this is my first post. If this is the wrong forum to be posting this in, please point me in the right direction. I have been wondering about this for some time, and I figured that this forum would be a good place to get some valuble opinions. So I ask, could heated infrastructure be successfully implemented in the United States? Please read on:
Each year, the government (mostly state and local I believe) spends huge sums of taxpayer money in order to keep the roads clear of snow and ice during the winter in the northern states in the US. As you know, most road damage occurs as a result of the freezing-thawing process and the spreading of salt/calcium chloride that is commonly used to de-ice infrastructure has been shown to further the deterioration of the road itself. One would think that investing in some type of sustainable-heating technology that could be installed over time would alleviate the need to constantly maintain roads in adverse weather.
Some countries (Reykjavik, Iceland has some, Japan has a few as well) have heated roads or sidewalks but they are usually few and far between. If some type of technology was put in place as new roads are made/ old ones are repaired, wouldn't they eventually pay for themselves by significantly cutting down on maintenance costs while helping to facilitate economic interaction? Think of the benefits that could be had if road conditions were, apart from mere rainy weather, always generally consistent.
Various methods have been suggested in order to heat a road. Some have pointed to the use of standard electronic energy in order to heat a wire "web" within the pavement itself. Others have suggested using geothermal heating to cut around the potentially high energy costs associated with the first approach. A third technique that has been suggested, is to use the sun-attracting tendency of the road itself, which is essentially a large solar panel (think of stepping on a hot road while barefoot in the summer; roads attract a tremendous amount of energy) to somehow create and store solar energy in order to power heated water-circulation network, a system that is currently at use underneath some soccer fields.
So, in your opinion, what would be some of the specifications necessary to successfully and economically heat roads/highways in the Northern States? Do you think that it could actually be done over time? If no, please state why not, and if yes, what method (feel free to suggest others) do you believe would work best?
Hi all, I am new here, this is my first post. If this is the wrong forum to be posting this in, please point me in the right direction. I have been wondering about this for some time, and I figured that this forum would be a good place to get some valuble opinions. So I ask, could heated infrastructure be successfully implemented in the United States? Please read on:
Each year, the government (mostly state and local I believe) spends huge sums of taxpayer money in order to keep the roads clear of snow and ice during the winter in the northern states in the US. As you know, most road damage occurs as a result of the freezing-thawing process and the spreading of salt/calcium chloride that is commonly used to de-ice infrastructure has been shown to further the deterioration of the road itself. One would think that investing in some type of sustainable-heating technology that could be installed over time would alleviate the need to constantly maintain roads in adverse weather.
Some countries (Reykjavik, Iceland has some, Japan has a few as well) have heated roads or sidewalks but they are usually few and far between. If some type of technology was put in place as new roads are made/ old ones are repaired, wouldn't they eventually pay for themselves by significantly cutting down on maintenance costs while helping to facilitate economic interaction? Think of the benefits that could be had if road conditions were, apart from mere rainy weather, always generally consistent.
Various methods have been suggested in order to heat a road. Some have pointed to the use of standard electronic energy in order to heat a wire "web" within the pavement itself. Others have suggested using geothermal heating to cut around the potentially high energy costs associated with the first approach. A third technique that has been suggested, is to use the sun-attracting tendency of the road itself, which is essentially a large solar panel (think of stepping on a hot road while barefoot in the summer; roads attract a tremendous amount of energy) to somehow create and store solar energy in order to power heated water-circulation network, a system that is currently at use underneath some soccer fields.
So, in your opinion, what would be some of the specifications necessary to successfully and economically heat roads/highways in the Northern States? Do you think that it could actually be done over time? If no, please state why not, and if yes, what method (feel free to suggest others) do you believe would work best?