VIDEO: Solar Powered Roads and Highways

[eits]

http://www.wimp.com/solarhighways/

the only problem i see is eventual wearing away of the surface of the roadways... now, we just pour some asphalt down and flatten it until the grooves and eroded areas of pavement are flattened. after years and years, there will be grooves on these roadways... are they just going to resurface them or something? pour some kind of futuristic resin over top of them?

 

[eits]

really? no one cares?

 

[polarmystery]

really? no one cares?

I care, but it's Friday night. Most people are probably out.

 

[eits]

I care, but it's Friday night. Most people are probably out.

i forgot that most of the people here are single and don't have kids to take care of...

 

[lxskllr]

Won't work. Way too expensive, and those panels will heave in the winter. Aside from the misery of hitting the joints when they pop, it'll concentrate pressure on the edges, and break the panels. Aside from that, it takes petroleum to make electronic products.

Edit:
It could be useful for limited areas like parking lots, and private roads, but not for any large public infrastructure.

 

[BUTCH1]

Won't work. Way too expensive, and those panels will heave in the winter. Aside from the misery of hitting the joints when they pop, it'll concentrate pressure on the edges, and break the panels. Aside from that, it takes petroleum to make electronic products.

Edit:
It could be useful for limited areas like parking lots, and private roads, but not for any large public infrastructure.

I agree, the cost or tearing up existing asphalt alone would be prohibitive not to mention all the other problems mentioned..

 

[disappoint]

Pipe dream.

 

[sandorski]

Cool shit. Probably Decades before it could used regularly in Highway Construction, but for Sidewalks or City Intersections I think could be very useful as soon as it's been Tested sufficiently.

I also like how it could be used as the Electrical Grid itself.

 

[eits]

Pipe dream.

so was getting a man on the moon.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

By the time solar panels are produced in the volume and the low price necessary to make the up-front costs of that idea workable the power grid will be running on dilithium crystals.

 

[ElFenix]

the regular wear i wouldn't be quite as concerned about as abnormal things such as accidents and vehicles on fire. good accident can easily gouge the roadway, a hot enough fire can pit the concrete, etc. but clean the crap off and you can still drive on it in a damaged condition.

 

[Sea Moose]

Would be an excellant product for new road ways and generating power

 

[Sea Moose]

so was getting a man on the moon.

I am with you eits.

I am going to be quoting to install a solar hybrid air conditioning system next week. My first one.

 

[child of wonder]

By the time solar panels are produced in the volume and the low price necessary to make the up-front costs of that idea workable the power grid will be running on dilithium crystals.

Is that a limitation of our economic system?

Doing the "right" thing costs too much so screw it?

 

[eits]

I am with you eits.

I am going to be quoting to install a solar hybrid air conditioning system next week. My first one.

as soon as i own a house i'm going to live in for a very long time and i've got the money, i'm pretty sure i'll do the same.

 

[disappoint]

Pipe dream.

so was getting a man on the moon.

Allow me to elaborate on my comment. By "pipe dream" I don't mean it can't be done. I'm 100% certain humanity could do this in no time at all if they worked together for the common good. In fact could and should have already had something like this in place a decade ago.

But that is not how humans operate.

There is corruption galore. There are far too many humans who want to get paid BOATLOADS for doing absolutely NOTHING.

That wouldn't be a problem....were it not for the fact that they get their way.

Wall St. wants to get paid boatloads for essentially gambling with other peoples money. Gambling is a pastime not a productive endeavor. You go to the casino in your leisure suit when you're 80 and retired (and demented, house always wins) Not for a career.

All sports...also pastimes and leisure, not producing anything.
Acting....same thing.

All designed to entertain the mindless millions who want to pay to be entertained.

And that is where the money goes....into entertainment, not into infrastructure.

I could go on but I'll stop here. Mostly because there is no point telling you all this because.....wait for it.....








you know whats coming....





everyone knows this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJAxdGeZ4E

 

[sandorski]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJAxdGeZ4E

Nice cover, Here's the Original

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Is that a limitation of our economic system?

Doing the "right" thing costs too much so screw it?

The "right thing" according to whom? A bunch of left-wing nutjobs? The right thing or the wrong thing is a matter of perspective. What's an absolute is economic reality. Who exactly is paying for this? Maybe in your rose-colored world you can wave a magic want and something like this would just appear. In the real world, it's got to be paid for. Who is paying and what's their financial incentive to do so?

 

[disappoint]

The "right thing" according to whom? A bunch of left-wing nutjobs?

The "right thing" is to rob the poor. Everyone knows this.

 

[child of wonder]

The "right thing" according to whom? A bunch of left-wing nutjobs? The right thing or the wrong thing is a matter of perspective. What's an absolute is economic reality. Who exactly is paying for this? Maybe in your rose-colored world you can wave a magic want and something like this would just appear. In the real world, it's got to be paid for. Who is paying and what's their financial incentive to do so?

lol

My quoting of the word "right" apparently didn't stop you from foaming at the mouth.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

There's places moving back to gravel roads and this guy thinks we're going to start building glass ones? Maybe in 200 years.

 

[lxskllr]

Is that a limitation of our economic system?

Doing the "right" thing costs too much so screw it?

What's the right thing? Economics aside, electronics create a lot of toxic shit. Even from a purely environmental standpoint I don't know that solar roads make sense.

 

[IronWing]

Forget paving. Put solar panels over roads. Lots and lots of already disturbed land with ridiculously easy access, usually adjacent to existing electrical infrastructure. Shading decreases need for use of automobile A/C, reduces snow plowing, and equip bottom side of solar deck with mini wind turbines feeding off of the wakes of passing cars.

 

[0roo0roo]

so was getting a man on the moon.

Thats different, this is more like sending everyone to the moon. Not to mention the moon program never made space travel cheap or common for regular people.

Like it or not its a pipe dream as the costs are just too much, you are making something expensive and difficult and making it works by arbitrarily requiring that people drive on it. Roads take a beating, theres just no way this would be cost efficient, its about how you spend your money, what else would you defund to pay for this. Its like how you can literally live off the grid now if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on solar panels and batteries and the controllers. probably closer to 100k. you can do it, but your kid might not have a college fund.

 

[eits]

Thats different, this is more like sending everyone to the moon. Not to mention the moon program never made space travel cheap or common for regular people.

Like it or not its a pipe dream as the costs are just too much, you are making something expensive and difficult and making it works by arbitrarily requiring that people drive on it. Roads take a beating, theres just no way this would be cost efficient, its about how you spend your money, what else would you defund to pay for this. Its like how you can literally live off the grid now if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on solar panels and batteries and the controllers. probably closer to 100k. you can do it, but your kid might not have a college fund.

the starting cost would be high, but as more and more progress is made in the project and more time elapses, the cost will decrease significantly.