Pitch
U.S. currently has 4.18 mil miles of paved roads. Over time with paved roads came a rise in temp. Cool them and not every vehicle as much.
Description
Summary
Drive down any street with a road like the attached picture and it is at least 2 degrees cooler than a naked st. in the summer months (Estimated guess, see baking link). As a Houstonian, this is very apparent with high temperatures. Highways are even hotter with all the friction and your car will let you know. When the sun goes down, the concrete that has been baking in the sun for 12 - 14 hours will radiate heat long into the night which compounds the heat and for the next day on open roads. This happens year after year and in large, dense metro areas with the number of bodies and traffic jams the temperature gets worse. Conrete is the second most used product in the world. Instead of finding better ways to keep all those people cooled individually, I think it would be more effective, not a kill shot, but more effective to reducing emissions by cooling off the landscape autonomously. We do that by shading the pavements artificially with a system that moves with the sun to keep our highways cooler, therefore reducing the need to use as much A/C, which uses more fuel, which creates more emissions. I believe the system could be solar powered and work with the same overhead as a wind farm.
Upon looking at correlations between surface temperature and roadways, Eisenhower, 'The Hero of Highways' came into office in 1953. This link shows data from a study on how Earth's temperature has risen 1C since the 1950's. I don't think it's coincidence.
Is this proposal for a practice or a project?
Not sure
What actions do you propose?
Action item 1: Research and development
Petition the Head of Global R&D: Davide Zampini at Cemex to sponsor the research and development of solutions to keep our streets cooler, extend the life of our roadways, reduce the repair and replace cycle and reduce emissions on both front and back end of concrete usage.
Who will take these actions?
I will petition myself, I am hoping their are contacts here able to assist in facilitating a meeting. All other actions are yet to be determined.
Where will these actions be taken?
Via forms of electronic communication, initially. Then all others in Houston Texas.
In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.
United States
Country 2
Mexico
Country 3
No country selected
Country 4
No country selected
Country 5
No country selected
Impact/Benefits
What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?
Reduction in A/C needed to cool individuals.
Reduction in energy consumption for all vehicles.
Reduction on tire replacements.
Reduction on road maintenance.
Reduction demand for concrete.
Reduction on emissions.
Reduction in radiating heat in metro areas.
What are other key benefits?
Metro areas will benefit by reduced frequency with maintenance to vehicles for tire replacements and fuel consumption Saving money for house holds in the area. another benefit would be attaching the same system to street lamps to be able to light the streets that are cooled by day, at night. Cooler streets in the evening makes for a better exercise environment for entire communities with less worry of the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Successfully implementing would also benefits parking lots. With artificial shade, there would be less risk of children or pets dying in cars left with no A/C. Extended life of parking lot material, vehicles and less maintenance all contribute to less emissions.
Costs/Challenges
What are the proposal’s projected costs?
Projected cost for product development and test is projected at $1 million.
Timeline
Definitive timeline can be outlined after one year of testing (maybe less). However, as the test that were already conducted demonstrated, there is an immediate impact of 2 degrees when asphalt/concrete is not in direct sunlight all day.
About the author(s)
I am Zebadiah Franklin, currently a self employed real estate investor. Veteran of the United States Army and former cable contractor. Between the motor pools at Ft. Hood and contracting as a cable installer, I have not been able to get away from hot pavement. I am a father of 3 girls and I would like to leave a world that we enjoy now to them.
Related Proposals
I believe there could be a few, but that information would be clearer after testing.
References
https://surety1.com/history-highways-eisenhower
https://www.cemex.com/en/-/climate-action-panel-2020
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