Stocking up for winter

UK trials of a solar-powered under-road heating system that could be used to de-ice roads and heat buildings are due to begin later this month.

Due to last for two years, the trials are being managed by transport research group TRL on behalf of the Highways Agency, and will be carried out on a 100m stretch of private access road near the Toddington services area of the M1.

If successful and cost-effective, the heating technology could be used on stretches of the UK’s road network prone to problems during severe weather.

Its developer, London-based heat transfer specialist Icax, is also in discussion with an airport operator over possible use of the technology on runways.

The Icax system hinges on a relatively simple process that collects solar energy from the asphalt, stores it below ground and releases it when required.

It is based on the premise that dark road surfaces readily absorb solar radiation. At the height of the summer Tarmac surfaces can reach temperatures as high as 60°C. Beneath the top layer of asphalt a network of plastic pipes, through which water is pumped, collect this heat and return it to a pumphouse sited above ground. This heated water is then pumped through an additional layer of deeper pipes that lie under a polystyrene insulation layer.