Under-road heating could pave way for a grit-free future

UK may be next to trial technology that can melt snow and ice, ending need for salt spreading in winter

WINTER gritting could soon be a thing of the past as researchers are developing under-road heating technology to tackle ice and snow.

Researchers are working on a heating system called Snowless that uses a network of metal ribbons embedded in the asphalt of roads to melt snow and ice.

It works by a small electrical current passing through thin metal alloy strips which gently warm the road surface to keep it clear.

The technology, which is being tested on two small stretches of road in Denmark and the Netherlands, could end the need for salt and grit spreading during the winter months.

Sensors embedded in or alongside the road are used to monitor its surface temperature. This is combined with weather forecasts to allow automated control software to begin heating up the road in advance of icy or snowy conditions.

The metal ribbons, which are embedded beneath the upper layer of asphalt, are made from an amorphous alloy that turns electrical current into heat efficiently, which is then stored in the surrounding asphalt.

Yonatan Elimelech de-wolff, managing partner at San HITECH, an Israeli technology firm that is part of the consortium developing the technology, said: “Salt has two very negative effects when it is spread each winter. It is washed off the roads into the soil and contaminates nearby water but it also can damage the infrastructure of the roads itself.

“Metal on bridges and other parts can corrode.”

“Asphalt is very good at retaining heat, so we can gradually heat it up to around 20C (68F),” said Mr Elimelech de-wolff. “It will then retain the heat for hours. This means we can use renewable energy to provide the electricity when supply is high.”

Earlier versions of the technology have already been installed in a number of sites around Europe, including a couple of private driveways in the UK and at a car park in Utrecht in the Netherlands.

But the researchers, who include engineers at the Technical University of Denmark near Copenhagen and the German road construction company Volkmann & Rossbach GMBH, are now attempting to adapt the technology for use on large-scale roads and highways.

It is being tested on a patch of road at the Danish university and has also been installed on a section of road outside the accident and emergency department of the Maxima Medisch Centrum in Veldhoven, Netherlands.

The team hopes that if they are successful they will then be able to start installing the under-road heating in the rest of Europe, including the UK.