Solar Roadways has been chosen as the first award winner in the GE Ecomagination Challenge, a competition to invent the future of clean energy, the company announced.

The Solar Roadways concept is the brainchild of Scott and Julie Brusaw, of Sagle, ID, who have created a working prototype of a high-strength solar panel that is durable enough to be driven over by cars and trucks, while collecting and distributing energy from the sun. The Solar Roadways team will receive $50,000 for receiving the highest number of votes on the site, according to GE. More than 74,000 people cast their vote for the Brusaws, the company said.

The GE Ecomagination Challenge is a breakthrough competition to showcase and promote innovations in clean energy, energy storage and solutions for the electricity grid, with a $200 million prize purse to be divided among the winning entries. Money for the prize came from GE, as well as partners including Emerald Technology Ventures, Foundation Capital, KPCB and Rockport Capital, in effort to get inventions out of the lab and into the marketplace. The best ideas will be selected by voters on the Ecomagination website, where Solar Roadways has been a smash hit.

In our story about the best clean energy ideas of the Ecomagination Challenge, we chose the Brusaw’s Solar Roadways as one of our favorites.

The Solar Roadway is an idea that may only be slightly ahead of its time, and it makes a tremendous amount of sense. Our country has millions of miles of road surface basking in the sun every day. Without having to look for open areas to build wind farms, or get people to install solar panels on their homes, the Solar Roadway would take advantage of vast tracts of public space already covered in pavement. The Solar Roadway panels also house LEDs that can be used to direct traffic and can alert drivers to oncoming hazards.

More winners of the Ecomagination Challenge will be announced in November. We’ve told you our favorite concepts, what are some of yours?

Here’s an audio interview with Scott Brusaw telling the folks at GE about the idea for the Solar Roadway.