Solar Freakin' Roadways

[Tom Cruise]

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways#home

How has the entire earth not invested into this bullshit?

[AntiBlitz]

because asphalt is cheaper, those panels will become dirty, shitting on their efficiency and the first crash that happens on them will mangle the roadway making it impassable, it will instantly need a road crew to come out and repair it, shutting down the roadway.

[Tom Cruise]

because asphalt is cheaper, those panels will become dirty, shitting on their efficiency and the first crash that happens on them will mangle the roadway making it impassable, it will instantly need a road crew to come out and repair it, shutting down the roadway.

They meet all impact/load/traction requirements, and it destroyed/torn up  a bit, its a fairly easy and quick repair. Each panel is an individual piece to the puzzle. So you can literally just pick up that piece and replace it with a new one. No need to get a whole road crew bring in heavy machinery, tear up the road, place down more cement, pave it out, wait for it to dry, etc etc. If one piece gets a little dent in it or crater (which is about the same likeliness as on current roadways), then how is it any different from your average day pothole?

[AntiBlitz]

They meet all impact/load/traction requirements, and it destroyed/torn up  a bit, its a fairly easy and quick repair. Each panel is an individual piece to the puzzle. So you can literally just pick up that piece and replace it with a new one. No need to get a whole road crew bring in heavy machinery, tear up the road, place down more cement, pave it out, wait for it to dry, etc etc. If one piece gets a little dent in it or crater (which is about the same likeliness as on current roadways), then how is it any different from your average day pothole?

im just under the impression these will be damaged much easier, which will cost more maintenance, and more repair from accidents and whatever, remember, these arent made of concrete or asphalt like most roads.  I just cant see these being used on highways, maybe on small community streets, or low speed roads.  It really does sound like a cool idea, i just think the price to get something like this in, and then maintained will be absurd.

remember a hunk of concrete costs a few dollars, this entire unit will cost hundreds to replace.

[Teeth]

I am fairly sure a square meter of concrete or asphalt is a few dozen times cheaper than a square meter filled with solar cells and circuit boards.

[Tom Cruise]

im just under the impression these will be damaged much easier, which will cost more maintenance, and more repair from accidents and whatever, remember, these arent made of concrete or asphalt like most roads.  I just cant see these being used on highways, maybe on small community streets, or low speed roads.  It really does sound like a cool idea, i just think the price to get something like this in, and then maintained will be absurd.

remember a hunk of concrete costs a few dollars, this entire unit will cost hundreds to replace.

I see your concern, and you really can't say whose right or wrong because we don't truly know until we try. Also it's not just road we can use it on. It can be used on sidewalks, parking lots, bike patch, or just some random pavement in some park or playground. Watch the 2nd video in that link and it gives good details on the possibilities and opportunities. 

I am fairly sure a square meter of concrete or asphalt is a few dozen times cheaper than a square meter filled with solar cells and circuit boards.

Well remember it will all pay off in the long run. It's energy efficient, possibility of huge amounts of energy production, create jobs to make them and maintain them, and so much more. There is also tons of potential for other areas like safety, like all of the lighting possibilities they had. Would help with animals at night, can tell you about obstructions ahead, etc.

[Leshma]

im just under the impression these will be damaged much easier, which will cost more maintenance, and more repair from accidents and whatever, remember, these arent made of concrete or asphalt like most roads.  I just cant see these being used on highways, maybe on small community streets, or low speed roads.  It really does sound like a cool idea, i just think the price to get something like this in, and then maintained will be absurd.

remember a hunk of concrete costs a few dollars, this entire unit will cost hundreds to replace.

Asphalt is shit, and they tend to reuse it a lot, which makes it even shittier choice. Rain and water is devastating for asphalt roads. These panels, with some kind of protection could prove to be more durable against rain.

Only reason why asphalt roads seem durable to you is because they are regularly maintained. If they weren't, after few years roads would be unusable. Only difference is that you need more skilled workers to maintain these panels, they need to know a thing or two about electricity.

Here are the answers to many question you might have about this technology: http://www.solarroadways.com/faq.shtml#faqTraction

[Tiger]

Wow that's amazing, it may cut energy costs by a lot and also make a lot of new jobs.

[AntiBlitz]

Wow that's amazing, it may cut energy costs by a lot and also make a lot of new jobs.

at the cost of increased taxes to expend higher amounts of money on a pricier road system.

[Tiger]

So conservative, it will be good in the long run for economy too.  I would pay for a better future, that our future generations may have.  Once they can mass produce the product, it should be fine.

at the cost of increased taxes to expend higher amounts of money on a pricier road system.

[Sir_Hans]

They state that their glass surface has been tested for traction... but I wonder how well it would operate when oil and exhaust are covering the surface, or rain, or ice and snow...
Asphalt seems to work well with the normal amount of oil/exaust grime buildup because it is fairly porous, and then oil kind of settles below the surface (until it rains).

The other concern is definitely the cost. It would be interesting to see it done in a small town for testing purposes. It would be nice if they stated the type of solar panels they are putting in these devices... Solar panels lose their effectiveness over time at a constant rate... The better types of solar panels in terms of longevity lose their effectiveness at a rate of about 0.5% per year... Other types of solar panels lose their effectiveness at rates of 1% per year or more.

I would guess these road solar panels could degrade even faster than that from wear and tear and all the scoff marks and scratches which would end up reducing the amount of light that is received from the panels.

I still think it would be a better idea to upgrade our nuclear power plants and create new state of the art nuclear facilities. I wouldn't be surprised if a state of the art nuclear energy facility would be more green than the amount of solar panels needed to match the amount of energy produced, as long as you take into account the greenhouse gases produced from manufacturing all of the solar panels required.
 

(click to show/hide)

They meet all impact/load/traction requirements, and it destroyed/torn up  a bit, its a fairly easy and quick repair. Each panel is an individual piece to the puzzle. So you can literally just pick up that piece and replace it with a new one. No need to get a whole road crew bring in heavy machinery, tear up the road, place down more cement, pave it out, wait for it to dry, etc etc. If one piece gets a little dent in it or crater (which is about the same likeliness as on current roadways), then how is it any different from your average day pothole?

If you can just pick up these panels off the ground, whats to stop someone from stealing all these road panels off the ground and parting them out for all the electronic metals and solar panels. Or whats to stop the semi truck in front of you kicking one of these up into the air when it drives down the highway going 70mph... Something tells me they would still be using cement underneath these things rather than just place them on loose dirt. We would still need road crews with heavy machinery to set and maintain whatever goes underneath these solar panels.


Also, the effects of mass producing a mass quantity of solar panels on top of what we already do could put a large chokehold on rare earth metals... Prices of electronics could skyrocket as a result, especially if one of our major suppliers of rare earth metals/minerals decides to no longer sell to us, or increase the price as supply drops.

"Thin, cheap solar panels need tellurium, which makes up a scant 0.0000001 percent of the earth’s crust, making it three times rarer than gold."
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_scarcity_of_rare_metals_is_hindering_green_technologies/2711/

[Tiger]

Then scientists better develop how to synthesize it xD

"Thin, cheap solar panels need tellurium, which makes up a scant 0.0000001 percent of the earth’s crust, making it three times rarer than gold."
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_scarcity_of_rare_metals_is_hindering_green_technologies/2711/

[Vovka]

  Not heard of any case where someone stole part of asphalt road ^^

[Tom Cruise]

I didn't mean it in 100% literal sense that you just pick them up and put them down...

You have to bolt them down it looks like, or some form of screw. Either way that is a lot more practical than tearing up an area you want to fix, flatten out the land, lay down the concrete, let it dry, pave it out, finishing touches, etc.

Also this will not be an instant thing. They have already reached the stretch goal they wanted, but more is always nice   They plan on starting out small, as they should, with driveways, parking lots, parks, and other small areas just to test the waters and get the ball rolling.

[Oberyn]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100917758

copper theft is "threatening U.S. critical infrastructure by targeting electrical substations, cellular towers, telephone land lines, railroads, water wells, construction sites, and vacant homes for lucrative profits."

And this is just copper. You'd need constant supervision of the road, especially if they use a material that is "3 times rarer than gold".