FAQ Maintenance and Cleaning

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Will Solar Roadways make road maintenance easier or more difficult?

SR will make road maintenance much easier. To start with, SRPs are impervious to potholes, so all of the money that is currently spent on pothole repair will be eliminated, along with the inconvenience to drivers, and the wear and tear on vehicles. The panels are modular and easy to replace. When a new panel is put in, the road is as good as new. We’ve created a new base system which makes installation even faster and easier. 

Do Solar Road Panels need to be cleaned? 

Cleaning needs will vary by location. Thus far we have found that an occasional spray with a hose is all we have needed to do. And of course, being on the ground, it’s much easier to clean them than rooftop panels. Parking lots and roads are often cleaned now so worst-case scenario would likely be maintaining that status quo. There are coatings that can be applied which cause oil to turn to a powder which can be washed away by rain. Tires also clean the panels as they travel over them. 

How are you going to handle skid marks from tires? Won't that block your sunlight?

Unlike asphalt or concrete, skid marks don’t stay on glass. They’re easily wiped off and will be removed by passing vehicles.

What about chewing gum? How will you get it off of panels?

One of the national parks contacted us to ask that very question. They said they have a real problem with people spitting out gum and they have a terrible time cleaning it off of their walkways. They asked us if it would stick to SRPs. We didn’t know so we had to chew up a bunch of gum and stick it to our panels. We then left them out in the sun for weeks and… the gum won’t stick.