The future of mobility depends on the connectivity between all the cars and the rest of the agents present on the road. For this reason, it is also necessary to digitize infrastructures. In the coming decades, the concept of “road,” as we understand it today, is doomed to disappear. The more than 35 million kilometers of pavement spread throughout the world will cease to be completely passive elements to become roads that help increase driving efficiency, improve safety and reduce environmental pollution.

A sample button. from 2022, all cars must incorporate intelligent speed assistants and involuntary lane change. A high level of autonomy will require an adaptation of the road infrastructure. Because, according to experts, the problem is not that there are excess carbs, but inefficient roads.

Consequently, in digitizing mobility, applications are also being found on asphalt, and it is increasingly common to speak of intelligent roads. Roads that incorporate advanced technology in terms of safety, connectivity, or even charging of electric vehicles. A series of solutions that:

• They will enable dynamic traffic management,
• Have the potential to reduce congestion and
• They will contribute to the decrease in the number of accidents, since 90%, according to the DGT, come from the human factor. 

Previously, advances were limited to physical components, such as signs or new materials derived from bitumen. Now, in addition, the potential of wireless networks and artificial intelligence is being investigated. What’s more, cross-border 5G-connected road trials are already underway across Europe. Tests that will collect key data for the development of autonomous driving.

Roads that generate energy Intelligent roads began between 2016 and 2017 when solar roads with photosensitive paint that collected sunlight were designed in France and China. And, at night, they illuminated the roads with it. Even though these projects were not successful, the highways are still the subject of study to double the space they occupy by generating electricity. And solar energy, whose future lies in cost reduction and greater architectural integration, continues to be the main focus.

This is demonstrated by the PV SUD project, a new concept for a rooftop photovoltaic system for motorways developed by the Austrian Institute of Technology.

• Energy production,
• The flexible use of the road network,
• Increasing the useful life of the pavement – protecting it from overheating and precipitation – and
• Additional protection against noise.

The idea is to scientifically study all these factors and analyze the economic viability of this formula. But, although it is not its objective, the PV SUD project is also presented as a solution to one of the problems preventing the absolute explosion of the electric vehicle: autonomy. Because, what if it were the road itself that powered the batteries of the vehicles? It seems like science fiction, but in Sweden, they are already developing a prototype of a wireless router that will allow the trucks and buses that travel it to be recharged inductively while traveling.

According to various studies, around a third of cars will be autonomous by 2030. The next ten years will be crucial in determining the future of roads. The development of the autonomous vehicle industry and the electrification of the fleet seem unstoppable trends. Efforts are now focused on developing active and digital infrastructures that could reduce road travel by allowing cars to travel faster than today in a safe, efficient and sustainable way.

Also Read: Artificial Intelligence Is Changing The Medical Sector For The Better

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One of The Australian startups has presented a project with which they intend to create a network of perimeter data centers powered by solar power generators installed in remote locations on the coast and inland regions of the country. This would make it possible to provide digital services in places where there is hardly any infrastructure under a more sustainable and self-sufficient concept until now. Taking advantage of Australia’s special climatic conditions, it would be possible to build a network of Edge data centers independent of the country’s general power supply.

This was explained by the founder and CEO of this startup, Jonathan Eaves, in a conference held during the latest edition of the Data Center World event. There he explained his proposal, which provides an exciting approach for the expansion of the data center industry that is going to take place in the coming years. He commented that it is possible to build a perimeter computing infrastructure based on solar energy since this type of infrastructure does not require such a power supply as large data centers.

To do this, he proposes to use an Edge data center design based on standard 40-foot shipping containers, which already exists, and only needs to be rethought based on the supply of solar energy. According to Eaves, this would allow, for example, to expand Internet connectivity in geography as vast and unpopulated as Australia, without the need to build extensive energy networks to provide energy. The same happens with connectivity, which could be carried from the coastal areas of Australia, where the largest populations are concentrated, to localities in the country’s interior.

His proposal has already obtained support. He is preparing the first network of data centers and fibre optics, which will cross the continent from North to South, passing through the interior regions of the states of Victoria and Queensland in the east of the country. This proposal wants to address the needs of companies across the country, and not just those of hyperscalers, which have so far been the drivers of the construction of Edge data centers and extensive facilities in the most populated areas of Australia.

At the moment, Edge Centers expects to complete 8 of the 11 sections of its “backbone” of data centers throughout this year, which will add a total of 1,600 kilometres of fibre optics and wants to build another seven sections in 2022, which 16 perimeter data centers will accompany. And the best thing about this concept is that the data centers will be self-sufficient at the energy level since they will have their solar panels for self-generation.

In his presentation, Eaves explained that approximately one acre of land is needed to install a generating capacity of 150 kilowatts. In addition, the systems will have their batteries, which in case of need can be charged through backup generators or the general electrical network. But, except in specific cases, the systems will be able to supply themselves with the solar energy generated locally.

The batteries, initially, will be lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo). Still, they are considering other possibilities to provide them with the necessary balance between performance, load capacity, durability, scalability and cost. Regarding the refrigeration systems, the idea is to use direct expansion cooling using outside air, which will keep the equipment necessary to provide IT power of up to 100 kilowatts per container in perfect condition.

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