Energy-generating highways are far from science fiction. Waterloo’s Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology (CPATT) and other groups have already developed prototypes of modular road panels that can produce electricity thanks to embedded solar cells.

But can panels made of sensitive photovoltaic material and tempered glass withstand the impact of 18-wheelers or Toronto’s rush hour traffic?

To find out, WISE researchers Susan Tighe and Andrew Northmore conducted a finite element…