Researchers in Canada believe there's a better way to fight ice and snow on roads than plows and salts. In a piece for The Conversation, they proposed an innovative solution leveraging solar energy called borehole thermal energy storage.
Icy and snowy roads pose challenges that conventional remedies can't always properly address. For one thing, road salts' effectiveness declines in extremely cold temperatures. They can also be problematic for the local environment. Runoff can contaminate soil and groundwater and even spur algal blooms in lakes. It can also damage cars, roads, and bridges, inevitably leading to pricey repairs.
BTES is a promising alternative solution that has already been used with success globally. While the tech started as a way to heat and cool buildings, it is now being tapped to combat wintry conditions.
BTES takes in solar energy and stores it underground in the summer months. When a winter storm hits, that stored energy can move through pipes below the surface and act as what the researchers described as a "solar powered underfloor heating system."
While this proposal might be for the most ambitious use case yet, BTES is already in place in Sweden and Belgium to heat surfaces such as soccer fields and bike paths. Another example is Greater Binghamton Airport, which uses it to keep runways clear.
The researchers asserted that BTES could make a big difference in preventing Canada's busy roads from freezing over or generating black ice. Those conditions make pileups and multicar accidents inevitabilities. The researchers called it a "win-win" for cities with regard to bridges, which carry heightened safety concerns and maintenance costs if salts and chemicals damage them.
It is worth noting that BTES requires operational resources and regular maintenance. BTES includes components such as heat pumps that need electricity to move the stored heat to the road surfaces in wintry conditions. Maintenance is also needed to check on the system components, inspect pipes for leaks, and keep the control systems up to speed.
There is also a higher initial cost than road salts and plows, but the researchers said it could be paid back in under 11 years. Installing the systems requires "invasive construction work" and "favorable ground conditions," per the researchers.
With all that in mind, they argued that BTES is a "wise investment" for Canadian cities such as Toronto and Montreal, which could use subsidies and tax breaks to spur implementation. They pointed out that Canada spends $350 million annually on road salts, with the resulting economic and environmental damages ballooning to a staggering $4.8 billion per year.
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Definitely 💯 Canada's notorious winters are "ideal" for the tech, the researchers asserted. They said that the country could "lead the way by adopting BTES systems on its most treacherous roads, steep inclines and vulnerable bridges." While Canada's next move is unknown, the researchers' proposition of safer roads, fewer costly repairs, and less environmental carnage is undoubtedly compelling.
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