solar freaking roadways

Posted by $ Terraformer_One 9 years, 9 months ago to Technology
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I think that this is a good replacement for the kilometers of idle roads. Harness ambient light to charge hybrid-electric vehicles, de-icing in winter, programmable lane and parking signage, culverts to carry fibre-optic cables and water on opposite sides.
SOURCE URL: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways/


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  • Posted by robertmbeard 9 years, 9 months ago
    I wonder if they have estimated the cost for various levels of production. Photovoltaic materials are not cheap.

    Also, I wonder if they have conducted any cyclic testing for both low cycle fatigue and high cycle fatigue. Once the glass starts cracking and likely produces exposed sharp edges, tires will be punctured and lawsuits filed.

    For better durability, making the glass thicker attenuates optical light transmission and makes the light more diffuse. This usually results in lower absorption efficiency of the photovoltaic cells.

    I wish them the best in their endeavor and give them kudos for their progress so far, but I'll be surprised if this has the necessary long-term durability and affordability for many of the applications identified...
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 9 months ago
    How do they melt snow? It seems like it would turn a fresh snowfall into slush, which is better than a pile of snow, but the next day after snow is usually cold, and it seems like it would turn it into a sheet of ice. It's kind of like when they put down melt when it's 20F and then ext morning is 5F, and it's mostly turned to crunchy ice. In this case, though, the ice wouldn't be crunchy. Maybe my intuition is wrong. I'm all for experimentation.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago
    The other problem is that the efficiency of solar panels declines relatively quickly. You'd be replacing panels are a rather fast rate. There's also the problem of durability. Things fall on the roadways which would break the panels. Snow plows would tear them up.
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