With 5 days to go on their IndieGoGo, Solar Roadways has shattered their $1 million funding goal by a solid $300,000.
The crowdfunding campaign was to help kick start manufacturing for the first round of this new roadway construction process which incorporates solar cells and LED lights into hexagonal tiles that can be used to replace sidewalks, driveways, and streets. The cells are protected by a tempered glass which is durable enough to handle vehicles up to 15 tons.
The main benefit of this kind of retrofit is it takes ground that’s already dedicated for one purpose to generate electricity. It’s a futuristic idea, that every piece of passive asphalt and cement could instead be generating power. Other solar farm proposals might need large areas of land, which means pushing them farther away from populated areas.
There’s still time left to contribute to the campaign, with some fun perks for donating. If you’d like more info on the Solar Roadways project, we’ve got their pitch video below.