This seemed fairly obvious. I never understood what advantage making the roads into solar panels would be instead of putting solar panels next to, or above the roads. It seems like it would be...
This seemed fairly obvious. I never understood what advantage making the roads into solar panels would be instead of putting solar panels next to, or above the roads. It seems like it would be obvious to anyone who thought about it for 10 seconds that fragile roads made of glass would be a bad idea.
Pretty much anyone who knows anything about solar panels knew that Solar Roadways knew that it was bunk. They were being put inbetween the shade of buildings in a place where they were going to...
Pretty much anyone who knows anything about solar panels knew that Solar Roadways knew that it was bunk. They were being put inbetween the shade of buildings in a place where they were going to attract dirt. The only way you could get less efficiency is if you flipped them upside down.
Agree, I also had serious concerns about how well they'd perform as an actual road surface. But I like that this article quantifies just how much more expensive and less efficient they are.
Agree, I also had serious concerns about how well they'd perform as an actual road surface. But I like that this article quantifies just how much more expensive and less efficient they are.
I'm not sure I feel the same way. This was a scam pure and simple, and the government of France fell for it, costing taxpayers millions. Any engineer doing back of the envelope calculations could...
I'm not sure I feel the same way. This was a scam pure and simple, and the government of France fell for it, costing taxpayers millions. Any engineer doing back of the envelope calculations could tell you what a terrible, horribly impractical, stupid idea this was. And they did. And the results turned out to be exactly what they said they would be.
There's no case where this makes any sense. Putting the panels above or beside the road would be better in every conceivable way. Putting fragile electronics under a road, then make that road transparent, keep it free from dust and abrasion, while making a road surface cars can actually drive on is just a ridiculous feat.
They made claims in the video that were completely absurd and physically impossible. Like, the idea that the solar panels will be able to melt snow. Think about this for a minute. Asphalt is black. It already absorbs sunlight very well. You're already converting most of the available sunlight into heat on a regular road already. Now, solar panels are only ~20% efficient at best, when they're not obscured by snow, in direct sunlight. The amount of energy required to melt snow is very obviously more than the amount of sunlight available, or the sun would have melted the snow directly.
This is a terrible, terrible idea, and it's really disappointing to see that people in positions of power fell for such a blatantly obvious scam. People who are supposed to represent us are blowing our tax dollars on kickstarter scams. That's really depressing.
I agree. It's like making a presentation as to why we should make wheels square and convincing someone to buy in. It also solves a problem that nobody had - there are still plenty of rooftops,...
I agree. It's like making a presentation as to why we should make wheels square and convincing someone to buy in. It also solves a problem that nobody had - there are still plenty of rooftops, parking lots, etc. to cover in solar panels. It's not like we're running out of places to put them.
This seems like it'd be common sense but based on the huge popularity of that video from 2014 (22 million views) apparently it's not. Turns out having panels lying flat on the ground means they...
This seems like it'd be common sense but based on the huge popularity of that video from 2014 (22 million views) apparently it's not. Turns out having panels lying flat on the ground means they don't work very well.
Anyone know anything about what this road is like to drive on? Or what the durability of it is? I feel like every article about this concept completely neglects those two rather important aspects...
Anyone know anything about what this road is like to drive on? Or what the durability of it is? I feel like every article about this concept completely neglects those two rather important aspects of a road.
This seemed fairly obvious. I never understood what advantage making the roads into solar panels would be instead of putting solar panels next to, or above the roads. It seems like it would be obvious to anyone who thought about it for 10 seconds that fragile roads made of glass would be a bad idea.
But did you see that moose Billie Jean-ing across the road?
Pretty much anyone who knows anything about solar panels knew that Solar Roadways knew that it was bunk. They were being put inbetween the shade of buildings in a place where they were going to attract dirt. The only way you could get less efficiency is if you flipped them upside down.
Agree, I also had serious concerns about how well they'd perform as an actual road surface. But I like that this article quantifies just how much more expensive and less efficient they are.
A bit disappointing for sure, but I'm glad we gave it a try. I hope this doesn't turn people off from trying new odd things.
I'm not sure I feel the same way. This was a scam pure and simple, and the government of France fell for it, costing taxpayers millions. Any engineer doing back of the envelope calculations could tell you what a terrible, horribly impractical, stupid idea this was. And they did. And the results turned out to be exactly what they said they would be.
There's no case where this makes any sense. Putting the panels above or beside the road would be better in every conceivable way. Putting fragile electronics under a road, then make that road transparent, keep it free from dust and abrasion, while making a road surface cars can actually drive on is just a ridiculous feat.
They made claims in the video that were completely absurd and physically impossible. Like, the idea that the solar panels will be able to melt snow. Think about this for a minute. Asphalt is black. It already absorbs sunlight very well. You're already converting most of the available sunlight into heat on a regular road already. Now, solar panels are only ~20% efficient at best, when they're not obscured by snow, in direct sunlight. The amount of energy required to melt snow is very obviously more than the amount of sunlight available, or the sun would have melted the snow directly.
This is a terrible, terrible idea, and it's really disappointing to see that people in positions of power fell for such a blatantly obvious scam. People who are supposed to represent us are blowing our tax dollars on kickstarter scams. That's really depressing.
I agree. It's like making a presentation as to why we should make wheels square and convincing someone to buy in. It also solves a problem that nobody had - there are still plenty of rooftops, parking lots, etc. to cover in solar panels. It's not like we're running out of places to put them.
This seems like it'd be common sense but based on the huge popularity of that video from 2014 (22 million views) apparently it's not. Turns out having panels lying flat on the ground means they don't work very well.
SOLAR FREAKING ROADWAYS
God I hated that video.
Anyone know anything about what this road is like to drive on? Or what the durability of it is? I feel like every article about this concept completely neglects those two rather important aspects of a road.
I've wondered that myself. Is emergency braking effected by the surface?
Off-topic, but I like that the article is long enough to provide the information but not too long to be a pain to read (e.g. the BBC).