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"We're building solar road panels that you can drive on. The fact that it's generating power means it pays for itself over time, as opposed to asphalt," Brusaw told Scientific American.

The engineer, armed with a $100,000 small business grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is building the prototype, which incorporates 1,024 modules that each contain a solar cell, a LED and eventually an ultracapacitor for electricity storage. The goal is to build a durable road surface that can also be a source of electricity for the nation's evolving Smart Grid.

The solar components would be set between a layer of glass (which has not been developed yet) and a layer of conducting material. Brusaw acknowledged that since no one has attempted to drive on glass for long periods of time that it will be a challenge. The glass will need to be strong enough to withstand constant pounding by streams of heavy trucks and cars. It also will need to have a surface that tires can grip and remove water, and be capable of cleaning itself.

While the glass doesn't exist now, Brusaw hopes to work with researchers from Pennsylvania State University's Materials Research Institute to create it. Another issue, however, is cost. He estimates that developing a glass that can hold up as the fast lane of a highway will probably cost $15 million to $25 million over the next three to five years and that the cost of mass production could be roughly $1 per square foot.

The prototype is expected to be given to the DOT in early 2010.