Solar Roadways

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Creativemind
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03 Dec 2017

Hi All!

Has anyone heard of Solar Roadways?



Very cool idea.

I doubt it would ever come to fruition but cool idea.

Thanks!
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normen
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03 Dec 2017

It's not a good idea. Rooftops are MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better than roadways - angle, shadows, everything. Not even asphalt and concrete roads can stand what they have to for long - how would solar panels? This is either a scam or a monumentally stupid idea.

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selig
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03 Dec 2017

normen wrote:
03 Dec 2017
It's not a good idea. Rooftops are MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better than roadways - angle, shadows, everything. Not even asphalt and concrete roads can stand what they have to for long - how would solar panels? This is either a scam or a monumentally stupid idea.
I've read a tiny bit about this, and the durability it the primary (but not totally insurmountable) issue. Since the concept is tile based, they can be replaced easily (the top layer is just a cover for the solar cells IIRC). Another issue it transmission - how do you get the power from the road to where it needs to be? One idea is that the power from the road simply goes to power local devices like streetlights and roadsigns, and roadside charging stations for electric vehicles.

The flaws are there for sure, just as the flaws were there in every emerging tech. As Edison reportedly said when asked "what good is electricity" (when it was noted there were no ways to get it into homes, and no devices that needed it), to which the reported reply was "what good is a new born baby". Even if that's not a 100% factual account of history, it's a great example to show that all new tech need development before you'll know it's full worth.
:)
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eusti
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03 Dec 2017

selig wrote:
03 Dec 2017
normen wrote:
03 Dec 2017
It's not a good idea. Rooftops are MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better than roadways - angle, shadows, everything. Not even asphalt and concrete roads can stand what they have to for long - how would solar panels? This is either a scam or a monumentally stupid idea.
I've read a tiny bit about this, and the durability it the primary (but not totally insurmountable) issue. Since the concept is tile based, they can be replaced easily (the top layer is just a cover for the solar cells IIRC). Another issue it transmission - how do you get the power from the road to where it needs to be? One idea is that the power from the road simply goes to power local devices like streetlights and roadsigns, and roadside charging stations for electric vehicles.

The flaws are there for sure, just as the flaws were there in every emerging tech. As Edison reportedly said when asked "what good is electricity" (when it was noted there were no ways to get it into homes, and no devices that needed it), to which the reported reply was "what good is a new born baby". Even if that's not a 100% factual account of history, it's a great example to show that all new tech need development before you'll know it's full worth.
:)
But why not use technology that has been proven and will get a decent return of investment and all? When I heard about it first it was about bicycle paths: A friend (at that time closer in the subject in regards to solar development) felt the main issues were bad (insufficient) angles and shading... Likely dependent on the location of the experiment: Might work better in desert states.

D.

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dioxide
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03 Dec 2017

One of my favourite YouTubers has done a number of videos on this:


The short version is that while SR is a nice idea, it doesn't have much scientific basis and thus there isn't much of a future in it. That hasn't stopped them getting government grants though.

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plaamook
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03 Dec 2017

eusti wrote:
03 Dec 2017
But why not use technology that has been proven and will get a decent return of investment and all? ...

Yeah, like nuclear!!! :lol:
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jam-s
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03 Dec 2017

It would be much more efficient to simply put solar panels on top of the road on a separate roof construction (or simply along the road at the right angle).
Still it would be even better to first use the roofs of newly built buildings.

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normen
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03 Dec 2017

plaamook wrote:
03 Dec 2017
Yeah, like nuclear!!! :lol:
Image

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plaamook
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03 Dec 2017

whoops
Last edited by plaamook on 03 Dec 2017, edited 1 time in total.
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selig
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03 Dec 2017

jam-s wrote:
03 Dec 2017
It would be much more efficient to simply put solar panels on top of the road on a separate roof construction (or simply along the road at the right angle).
Still it would be even better to first use the roofs of newly built buildings.
Why not both?
Solar paint on everything wouldn't hurt either…
;)
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pushedbutton
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03 Dec 2017

You can watch some live solar freakin roadways breaking and failing in real time here.
http://www.cityofsandpoint.com/visiting ... ad-image-4
it's a stupid idea.
You can't break safely on glass surfaces, they don't last long enough to make the initial outlay back, they aren't bright enough to be seen in daylight and they don't generate anywhere near enough power to offset their maintenance, which is frequent. Then consider that they're in a fixed position aiming straight up so they're only at full efficiency when the sun is directly above them, nothing (like a car or a person) is casting a shadow on them and they're not being used as a replacement for paint. Then consider the initial infrastructure that would have to be implemented. Only stoners can come up with this idea and think it'll be viable.
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plaamook
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04 Dec 2017

pushedbutton wrote:
03 Dec 2017
...Only stoners can come up with this idea and think it'll be viable.

Fuckin awesome
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motuscott
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04 Dec 2017

Let us now disparage great stoners
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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plaamook
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04 Dec 2017

motuscott wrote:
04 Dec 2017
Let us now disparage great stoners
No. But I'll tell a funny story.

My brother is a real proper stoner. Bong hits in the morning sort of chap.
I got a call from him fwew weeks back. He met a girl that he likes a lot. Really likes her. But he can't get it up. First time in his life.
I suggest that he may just feel anxious because he likes her so much.
Ok.
I get a call back a week later, he's found the cure!
He says that she doesn't smoke much so he cut back a bit while hanging out with her and that's the problem. If he just gets even more high he's fine and the old chap does it's job just fine.
A dope head realises that the cure to his problem is to smoke even more dope. You can't make that shit up.
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Creativemind
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04 Dec 2017

pushedbutton wrote:
03 Dec 2017
You can't break safely on glass surfaces,
Oh yeah, good point. Especially if it had rained and they're wet lol!
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dioxide
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04 Dec 2017

plaamook wrote:
04 Dec 2017
A dope head realises that the cure to his problem is to smoke even more dope. You can't make that shit up.
Lol. Fucking classic :D

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selig
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04 Dec 2017

pushedbutton wrote:
03 Dec 2017
You can watch some live solar freakin roadways breaking and failing in real time here.
http://www.cityofsandpoint.com/visiting ... ad-image-4
it's a stupid idea.
You can't break safely on glass surfaces, they don't last long enough to make the initial outlay back, they aren't bright enough to be seen in daylight and they don't generate anywhere near enough power to offset their maintenance, which is frequent. Then consider that they're in a fixed position aiming straight up so they're only at full efficiency when the sun is directly above them, nothing (like a car or a person) is casting a shadow on them and they're not being used as a replacement for paint. Then consider the initial infrastructure that would have to be implemented. Only stoners can come up with this idea and think it'll be viable.
So we would agree the technology is not yet in place which would support this idea? We can't fully support electric cars either at present (not enough range, not enough charging stations, too high a cost). Nor is the tech in place to allow humans to go to Mars today, etc. etc.

Not saying this is a good idea (we can't know just yet), just saying this is what almost all new ideas look like in their 'infant' stages.
:)

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jam-s
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04 Dec 2017

Well, we can calculate that this idea will not be feasible in the near (or even distant) future, as all scientific discoveries that would aid the solar road panels would also improve the cheaper and much more lasting conventional panels likewise. Therefore the solar road panels won't be able to catch up.
Another example of the stupidity of their promotion is that they are showing a parking lot as an example. So I ask you during which time of the day is a parking lot most likely occupied? I suppose, "at daytime, when the sun shines" is the correct answer. Thus the parked cars are shading the solar cells during the time when those could generate power, thus rendering them highly ineffective.

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normen
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05 Dec 2017

jam-s wrote:
04 Dec 2017
Well, we can calculate that this idea will not be feasible in the near (or even distant) future, as all scientific discoveries that would aid the solar road panels would also improve the cheaper and much more lasting conventional panels likewise. Therefore the solar road panels won't be able to catch up.
Another example of the stupidity of their promotion is that they are showing a parking lot as an example. So I ask you during which time of the day is a parking lot most likely occupied? I suppose, "at daytime, when the sun shines" is the correct answer. Thus the parked cars are shading the solar cells during the time when those could generate power, thus rendering them highly ineffective.
Exactly. Put a bunch of roofs with solar panels on all parking lots and its cheaper, easier to install without taking apart the whole parking lot, more efficient and less stress put on the material. Then look at where most roads are - in cities, right? There you also have houses which a) shield the roads between them from sunlight and b) have nice big roofs without anything shading them, perfect for solar panels.

And by the way the panels also take up the energy from the sun instead of spreading it in the atmosphere, thus reducing the greenhouse effect in a similar fashion to the "painting the roofs white" idea - but of course that would also be the case for "solar roadways" :)

I am in "green energy land" here in North Germany, its more of a rural/farming area and we have a coast so theres lots of wind energy, solar panels, bio gas production etc. I basically have no choice but using renewable energy and gas, it's what arrives in the plug here. At the moment the north is producing so much energy that we can't pipe it all trough the lines to the rest of Germany. You see solar panels on every industry or farming building and a lot on private homes, everybody and their mum is selling power. And remember, in terms of latitude we're basically in the middle of Canada here.

So yeah, it is already possible without wasting the money on crazy ideas that are simply not there yet. Could it be a thing having auto-heated, energy creating roads that light up one day? Sure. But for whom? For Alexa and Siri who will drive our cars then? :) I guess they're better suited with radio signals ;)

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demt
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05 Dec 2017

har har har har ouch
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theshoemaker
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05 Dec 2017

The planet has been a disc before. Flying has been whichcraft and impossible... We are heading towards an energy crisis. This is one solution to a problem, which has still technical flaws. But mankind showed more than once how capable we are at engineering. Let it emerge and grow. Cars could be charged/powered while driving from this tech. Everyone said ... wireless charging for phones. Bullshit. Now its pretty standard :) or at least on its way. A lot of people fear change. No matter how small.
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normen
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05 Dec 2017

theshoemaker wrote:
05 Dec 2017
A lot of people fear change. No matter how small.
I don't think that THIS is the issue for anyone in this thread ^^ My suspicion is that ALL OF US would like a change to a solar future better than anything that is currently happening right?

Otherwise if its about platitudes I'll throw in a "Doesn't anyone think about the children??" ;)

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theshoemaker
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05 Dec 2017

normen wrote:
05 Dec 2017
theshoemaker wrote:
05 Dec 2017
A lot of people fear change. No matter how small.
I don't think that THIS is the issue for anyone in this thread ^^ My suspicion is that ALL OF US would like a change to a solar future better than anything that is currently happening right?

Otherwise if its about platitudes I'll throw in a "Doesn't anyone think about the children??" ;)
To quote myself, as the main content of my statement
theshoemaker wrote:
05 Dec 2017
We are heading towards an energy crisis. This is one solution to a problem, which has still technical flaws. But mankind showed more than once how capable we are at engineering. Let it emerge and grow.
The rest has been jibbery jabbery to give my very special subjective view. Whether we should call it energy crisis or not, I think we agree on a growing population with a high demand in electricity. And if solar tech is the solution or just another post-atom-alternative-thinking pre stage to a new problem ...

What I like about this solution. It's meshed ... like the internet, and electricity can be harvested privately ... or shared in public. And the infrastructure can be maintained in a more "controllable" way. Maybe goverment will setup taxes for harvesting this "free" energy source. Still an interesting solution to an emerging bottleneck/issue/environmental alternative. However we call it. To our current knowledge I think some people here would love to see this tech become stable in a way no one has to think about whether or not to pay for and get energy.

I wish tesla would still live :)
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FlowerSoldier
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05 Dec 2017

It's strange. We've seen so much technological progress in the last 25 years. The only industry that didn't improve by orders of magnitude is Energy Production.
Also, I'm a proper stoner. I smoke large amounts of high grade marijuana on a daily basis. It helps keep my mind limber and supple.

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jam-s
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13 Dec 2017

FlowerSoldier wrote:
05 Dec 2017
It's strange. We've seen so much technological progress in the last 25 years. The only industry that didn't improve by orders of magnitude is Energy Production.
http://solarcellcentral.com/images/module_prices.jpg

Hmm, from $6 to $0.6 is pretty much an order of magnitude. If you correct it for inflation it's even more.

or https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... e_1977.svg

In general I refute your statement: https://breakingenergy.com/2015/11/17/6 ... gy-future/

Only old fossil fuels did not improve significantly in comparison.

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