N. Idaho company gets $750K for solar parking lot [View All]

[bloomington-lib]

Source: Business Week

A northern Idaho company that aims to transform U.S. highways into a vast, energy-producing network is getting $750,000 from the federal government for the next phase of its project: a solar parking lot.

Solar Roadways of Sagle announced Wednesday that it won a Small Business Innovation Research grant for the project from the Federal Highway Administration.

With the money, company founders Scott and Julie Brusaw aim to create a prototype parking lot for testing, but their real dream is for a road system built of 12-foot-by-12-foot solar panels rather than traditional asphalt.

They contain LEDs for illuminating the road lines from beneath the surface and a heating element to prevent snow and ice accumulation in rugged northern climates like Idaho's far north.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9OJIL3G0.htm