technology Replacing pavement with solar panels: a good idea?

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

Caught wind of this in tumblr... INTERESTED. But i can't fun this. The only thing i want to know is how much will they be costing in accidents? Will they be able to support heavy weights?

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

This is the second Solar Roadway thread this week on the forums. It seems as though people are interested in it, and I can't blame them. It's a pretty cool idea. 

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

I'm not so sure what I like more....the dumbed down humorous way this idea is presented, or the fact that it's a very practical idea...

[Funky Jives 14]

The reason why these roadways don't exist is because of the lobbying power of the oil, coal, and gas companies. I love the idea of solar roads because of all the added benefits but unfortunately these old fossils (No pun intended) who lobby the government still exist.

 

Not only that, but I think that the real problem with this idea is that by abolishing the oil, coal, and gas companies, we are putting millions of people out of work. Sure, we can maybe put them to work on the solar panel project, but I'd like to know if there are enough sustainable jobs to replace every single one of those who would be laid off.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Funky Jives

[Neon Fire 473]

I literally just watched the video last night on facebook!  Also, people, you gotta watch the video to understand why it's good.  It doesn't just light up and look cool.  But yes, I think it's a great idea and should be done.

[Jeric 46,835]

Just curious, do they mention the overall efficiency of the solar cells they're using? I'm trying to crunch some real data.

No, which is the only issue I have, beside the obvious need for a phased approach since the DOT can only do so much. You have a LOT if cash strapped States and Counties in the US right now (where lobbying isn't AS effective).

 

It's a great idea, but I need to see hard net gain data first. And maybe a County in the US get Federal funding to try a local scale experiment for a few years.

[Shady Bubbles 429]

This is the second Solar Roadway thread this week on the forums. It seems as though people are interested in it, and I can't blame them. It's a pretty cool idea. 

Is it really? I didn't think to look   Hopefully the mods take notice and merge them. I'd like to see as many opinions as I can.

[Shanks 10,811]

Not only that, but I think that the real problem with this idea is that by abolishing the oil, coal, and gas companies, we are putting millions of people out of work. Sure, we can maybe put them to work on the solar panel project, but I'd like to know if there are enough sustainable jobs to replace every single one of those who would be laid off.

If even half of the claims in this video are true then it will likely replace those jobs 10 times over. When people started using lightbulbs I am sure some candle makers lost their jobs but even more jobs were created to replace them due to increased productivity. With that it would not surprise me if these things really did work that well, there are a lot of technologies that would be beneficial to mankind that have been suppressed by big corporations. Scientist Nicola Tesla made discoveries which if implemented could lead us all to free and clean energy but his research was unfortunetely confiscated by the government no doubt because some very powerful interests didn't want this getting out. There are electric cars starting to be introduced to the market but those have existed for a long time and are much more fuel efficient than the ones being introduced to the market. There is even a documentary about this called Who Killed The Electric Car.

 

http://vimeo.com/19863733

[Funky Jives 14]

If even half of the claims in this video are true then it will likely replace those jobs 10 times over. When people started using lightbulbs I am sure some candle makers lost their jobs but even more jobs were created to replace them due to increased productivity. With that it would not surprise me if these things really did work that well, there are a lot of technologies that would be beneficial to mankind that have been suppressed by big corporations. Scientist Nicola Tesla made discoveries which if implemented could lead us all to free and clean energy but his research was unfortunetely confiscated by the government no doubt because some very powerful interests didn't want this getting out. There are electric cars starting to be introduced to the market but those have existed for a long time and are much more fuel efficient than the ones being introduced to the market. There is even a documentary about this called Who Killed The Electric Car.

 

http://vimeo.com/19863733

Sure, we can create a zillion jobs, but are they long-term? I mean, once all the concrete in America has been replaced, can we reliably say that all these people will still have jobs in the industry?

[N.W. 3,619]

I don't see how this is beneficial besides making roads look cooler. We could spend money on better things... you know... like Poverty

Solar Roadways would pay for themselves and free up more money for things such as poverty. 

Three words.

Solar

FREAKIN

Roadways

 

 

The basic idea is that we replace all of our useless pavement with solar panels that have built-in LED lights.

Personally I think it's a fantastic idea, and the video makes some excellent points about the advantages of 

Solar

FREAKIN

Roadways

 

So tell me your thoughts. Should we be funding this? Why or why not?

My student chemistry teacher showed us this in class earlier in the week.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Sergei

[Fhaolan 4,468]

The questions I have, nobody here can answer. I am an engineer, so my engineer-senses are tingling.

 

The glass covers are durable, that is amply demonstrated in the video. However, the actual durability of the rest of the hex tiles is what I want to know. Meaning how often will it be necessary to replace the tiles due to malfunctioning circuitry.

 

The ability of the tile to detect pressure is interesting, but again true pressure plates deteriorate relatively quickly. Which is why traffic lights and automatic gates use magnetic sensors rather than pressure plates.

 

The LEDs don't interest me much, although they are neat, because in real life the lines on a roadway rarely change. The ability of the tiles to light up when something is on the road that shouldn't be is vaguely interesting but not enough to sway me.

 

The road acting as a replacement of power lines is also interesting, but in the areas where I tend to live the problem is roads are driven through areas that are effectively swampland. So the service tunnels under the road that they showed are going to be full of water *all the time* around here. I can't even drive wooden fenceposts in on my property because the waterline is only a couple of inches below the topsoil near the road.

 

I'd be willing to have my driveway done with these tiles, minus the LEDs, in the same way I'm interested in the new solar panel roofing tiles that are being marketed now. I've discovered through experimentation that solar power isn't particularly effective in the Pacific Northwest due to the almost constant overcast conditions, but with enough surface area it will do well enough. There is a glitch out here though, as we're not allowed to put power back on the grid and sell it to the utilities, as their infrastructure isn't set up to handle small power production points all over the place in a safe manner. When something goes wrong, they don't have the ability to quickly cut you off, so you may be energizing the other end of a down line.

[Frosty Nerd 833]

Idealistically, this is a perfect idea, and I would totally support it, but what would happen if there is was earthquake? How would the government afford this? Would it be resistant to dirt and weather? How much of the panel would be made from recycled materials?

[Just some guy 1,070]

My question is what would happen if they were to break or malfunction?Like how Frosty Nerd above me mentioned,what would happen in the event of a natural disaster,a traffic accident,or just plain ol' wear-and-tear from everyday driving?How much will the weather damage it?Could we store enough energy and power to tide us over a nasty storm or a really cloudy day if such a thing ever happened?

 

I love this idea -- especially since I live in Hawaii where the sun is out 24/7 -- and it would be amazing to have such tech here to help our sustainability,but if this would be largely unviable until we develop something to help make it viable,then I'd rather stick to carbon fuels until we can find a smart way to approach this.

[Forlong 1,725]

 

A few problems with this idea:

1. Solar energy is crap.  Why not wind energy, nuclear energy, or literally anything else?  You threw away more energy in the trash today than solar energy can provide.  The only reason to pave roads with those panels is because we have no other use for them.
2. If you pave roads with it, that will leave tons of dust, prints, and other crap that will make the panels less efficient.
3. Repaving all of our roads would actually be more expensive than the Affordable Care Act.  I didn't think that was possible, so cudos.

[FractalMoon 378]

As someone who grew up in Oaklahoma, this would not work there at all. Hail the size of golf balls, falling at terminal velocity, will provide plenty of kinetic energy to punch through your windshield, or crack through one of these panels.

 

Another question, why this and not something else? Why not LFTR technology instead? If you want another money-sink why not Fusion? Why not bulldoze Texas and turn it into a big wind farm?

 

 

 

suri_polomare__from_ponyville_knitters__league_by_jeatz_axl-d71sf03.png

 

A few problems with this idea:

1. Solar energy is crap.  Why not wind energy, nuclear energy, or literally anything else?  You threw away more energy in the trash today than solar energy can provide.  The only reason to pave roads with those panels is because we have no other use for them.
2. If you pave roads with it, that will leave tons of dust, prints, and other crap that will make the panels less efficient.
3. Repaving all of our roads would actually be more expensive than the Affordable Care Act.  I didn't think that was possible, so cudos.

 

The Affordable Care Act cost approximately $488 million to implement. For reference, every month we spend in Iraq alone costs about half that. The ACA is a cheap piece of legislation, if you really want to cut the debt go after the Military Industrial Complex, but that's for another debate.

[Forlong 1,725]

The Affordable Care Act cost approximately $488 million to implement. For reference, every month we spend in Iraq alone costs about half that. The ACA is a cheap piece of legislation, if you really want to cut the debt go after the Military Industrial Complex, but that's for another debate.

Can we not turn this into an Obamacare debate, please.  My point is this idea is not only inefficient and stupid, but absurdly expensive.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Forlong

[FractalMoon 378]

Can we not turn this into an Obamacare debate, please.  My point is this idea is not only inefficient and stupid, but absurdly expensive.

As I said, that's for another debate. However, your point was still incorrect as from a legislative standpoint the ACA was relatively cheap to implement. Now, end of tangent, we are undifferentiating this topic to find the original function. 

[DubWolf 16,621]

It would be really expensive, not to mention solar technologies are still very inefficient in terms of storage.

 

You might say "store all that energy collected in the day for the night", but it's not as easy as it sounds (actually I'm not too familiar with overnight storage).

[FractalMoon 378]

It would be really expensive, not to mention solar technologies are still very inefficient in terms of storage.

 

You might say "store all that energy collected in the day for the night", but it's not as easy as it sounds (actually I'm not too familiar with overnight storage).

I have to dispute this, because solar panels aren't designed for storage, that's what capacitors and batteries are for. What solar panels are terrible at is converting light energy into electrical energy.

[DubWolf 16,621]

I have to dispute this, because solar panels aren't designed for storage, that's what capacitors and batteries are for. What solar panels are terrible at is converting light energy into electrical energy.

Yeah that's what I meant. They aren't efficient. Im unsure about batteries. Still, it would be expensive.

[Sigma 768]

Aren't solar panels really smooth (no friction for your tires)?

Don't solar panels break easily?

Doesn't the layer above solar-panels need to be clean and clear so it doesn't interfere with sunlight?

Aren't solar panels bucking expensive?

Aren't solar panels only useful on clear days?

Won't LED lights distract drivers and even blind them at night?

Doesn't concrete thrive in every area where solar panels fail?

 

I personally see this as a terrible idea.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Asterisk Propernoun

[Forlong 1,725]

Aren't solar panels really smooth (no friction for your tires)?

Don't solar panels break easily?

Doesn't the layer above solar-panels need to be clean and clear so it doesn't interfere with sunlight?

Aren't solar panels bucking expensive?

Aren't solar panels only useful on clear days?

Won't LED lights distract drivers and even blind them at night?

Doesn't concrete thrive in every area where solar panels fail?

 

I personally see this as a terrible idea.

Don't cloud the issue with logic!

 

You see what I did there?

[Lateon 588]

Aren't solar panels really smooth (no friction for your tires)? Don't solar panels break easily? Doesn't the layer above solar-panels need to be clean and clear so it doesn't interfere with sunlight? Aren't solar panels bucking expensive? Aren't solar panels only useful on clear days? Won't LED lights distract drivers and even blind them at night? Doesn't concrete thrive in every area where solar panels fail?   I personally see this as a terrible idea.

 

You honestly believe that the creators of this technology didn't think of every single one of these problems when they were creating it?

To address the most obvious problems:

- The solar panels have been reported to be able to bear 250,000 pounds of weight. A tank weighs less than that.

- When grimy (I mean CAKED with dirt), the panels lose around 9% of their efficiency. In addition, titanium dioxide turns most common road debris into a fine powder, which can then be blown or washed away

- The glass is textured in a way to provide 100% of the traction an asphalt road provides.

 

Read the FAQ next time. You might be enlightened. http://solarroadways.com/faq.shtml#index

 

There's a reason it was funded more than 180% of what they were asking for. For the record, they were seeking $1 million. 

Edited June 2, 2014 by SirHandMan

[Sigma 768]

You honestly believe that the creators of this technology didn't think of every single one of these problems when they were creating it?

To address the most obvious problems:

- The solar panels have been reported to be able to bear 250,000 pounds of weight. A tank weighs less than that.

- When grimy (I mean CAKED with dirt), the panels lose around 9% of their efficiency. In addition, titanium dioxide turns most common road debris into a fine powder, which can then be blown or washed away

- The glass is textured in a way to provide 100% of the traction an asphalt road provides.

 

Read the FAQ next time. You might be enlightened. http://solarroadways.com/faq.shtml#index

 

There's a reason it was funded more than 180% of what they were asking for. For the record, they were seeking $1 million. 

 

Very well, I see your point. It's just that solar panels and concrete seem like such polar opposites. I didn't find it believable at first, but I'm convinced now.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Asterisk Propernoun

[Forlong 1,725]

You honestly believe that the creators of this technology didn't think of every single one of these problems when they were creating it?

Since they are investing in solar panels...yes, I do believe they are that stupid.  There is NO reason this idea should have ever been spouted from that idiot's mouth.  You want the energy crisis solved: Nuclear Energy.  It is quite literally, the safest and most efficient energy source available to us.  There is no reason we should have to listen to horsehocky like this!  These "brilliant minds" should instead be researching how to deradiate nuclear waste.