Solar Roads

[Legion]

Not impossible, but really really really really really really expensive. Oh and in some areas people would probably start stealing the road.

 

I've caught people stealing my phone line before. So it wouldn't surprise me.

[Volbet]

I remember seeing their promotional video and wondering about how the practical implamentaion would be. Then Thunderf00t comes out and just demolishes their idea. 

Well, time to go back to studying kinetic road power. 

[mr.skyrim_pc]

I think it is a cool idea, it is just not practical.

[beebskadoo]

I remember seeing their promotional video and wondering about how the practical implamentaion would be. Then Thunderf00t comes out and just demolishes their idea.

Well, time to go back to studying kinetic road power.

He did the same with the Thorium powered car, just completely destroyed the silly idea. But as anything foes, people will just eat any idea up regardless of how insane and unscientific it is.

[Enderman]

This is a project that is bringing development and research for the future, not now. This video is stupid because it is impossible to convert all the roads into solar panels right this day. This is something for the future, and that is why we need people coming up with inventions and ideas to improve the future. Better and cheaper materials, manufacturing processes, and components are coming out each year, and soon enough this will be an affordable way to make roads. So what if there aren't solar roads tomorrow. This is about 20 or 50 years from now when it will be possible. Without entrepreneurs or inventors our human civilization would not advance. Some people just HATE change, don't they?

[beebskadoo]

This is a project that is bringing development and research for the future, not now. This video is stupid because it is impossible to convert all the roads into solar panels right this day. This is something for the future, and that is why we need people coming up with inventions and ideas to improve the future. Better and cheaper materials, manufacturing processes, and components are coming out each year, and soon enough this will be an affordable way to make roads. So what if there aren't solar roads tomorrow. This is about 20 or 50 years from now when it will be possible. Without entrepreneurs or inventors our human civilization would not advance. Some people just HATE change, don't they?

is am interesting concept, but the laws of thermodynamics/physics won't change in 20-50 years.

He is just stating that it will cost more than it will ever save us money. It's really inefficient.

[Enderman]

is am interesting concept, but the laws of thermodynamics/physics won't change in 20-50 years.

He is just stating that it will cost more than it will ever save us money. It's really inefficient.

Yeah well 50 years ago many roads were still made out of rocks. Now they are asphalt. Technology evolves very quickly, and new materials will be available in 50 years that will make this project just as affordable as asphalt.

[beebskadoo]

Yeah well 50 years ago many roads were still made out of rocks. Now they are asphalt. Technology evolves very quickly, and new materials will be available in 50 years that will make this project just as affordable as asphalt.

Regardless of if or when this project gets implemented he does raise valid points. Part of change is understanding the physical and financial limitations of such an endeavor, without critics and scientists scrutinizing it, it's likely to fail anyways.

[Enderman]

Regardless of if or when this project gets implemented he does raise valid points. Part of change is understanding the physical and financial limitations of such an endeavor, without critics and scientists scrutinizing it, it's likely to fail anyways.

At least they got funds to advance on the development of this project I expect to see this be deployed before I die for sure.

[beebskadoo]

At least they got funds to advance on the development of this project I expect to see this be deployed before I die for sure.

Well yes they got funded, but I wonder what will come of it.

[tobben]

hmm.. well after watching the entire video i very much doubt he addressed anything that most people haven't already thought of, he is just being abit more technical about it(atleast he gives people the impression that he is), ofcourse the idea is insane, ofcourse it has heaps of problems, the cost would be astronomical, not having sufficient information about the project we can only assume that the engineers/designers are or have already addressed some of them, this would probably work best within city's and whatnot where the roads are very dense, but that's where most of the traffic is, that's where they will get the least sun and that's where there will be the most wear and tear, at the end of the day i very much doubt anything will come out of this, but it's probably a fun little 2 million dollar project either way

[Vitalius]

This has two problems:

1) People are just going to pick up the panels and use it for themselves (yeah, people are dumb).

2) Mankind currently uses all the power the sun sends our way during a year, in about 4 months. This is a step in the right direction, but it's not remotely enough.

1. These things are huge and wired in. Good luck getting them out in a reasonable amount of time without damaging them. 

2. Source?

[tobben]

2) Mankind currently uses all the power the sun sends our way during a year, in about 4 months. This is a step in the right direction, but it's not remotely enough.

i missed this comment .. i would very much like to see the source for this myself.. and to me that doesn't sound like a "step in the right direction" what i deduced from that sentence is that we are spending way too much energy  :huh:  but i seem to have a knack for misunderstanding things so please correct me if i'm mistaken.

[Sauron]

i missed this comment .. i would very much like to see the source for this myself.. and to me that doesn't sound like a "step in the right direction" what i deduced from that sentence is that we are spending way too much energy  :huh:  but i seem to have a knack for misunderstanding things so please correct me if i'm mistaken.

Sorry, I can't remember where I read it, it's been a while, but it was a relatively trusted source (I think it was a newspaper or something like that). But think about it, it makes sense: the amount of power we currently provide ourselves through fossil fuels and nuclear energy is in absurd amounts, and solar technology can't possibly be 100% efficient. To get close to effectively tangible results we would need the whole world to be covered in panels. As for it being a step in the right direction, well if it can provide us any more energy without polluting more it's a good step regardless imo.

[Vitalius]

Sorry, I can't remember where I read it, it's been a while, but it was a relatively trusted source (I think it was a newspaper or something like that). But think about it, it makes sense: the amount of power we currently provide ourselves through fossil fuels and nuclear energy is in absurd amounts, and solar technology can't possibly be 100% efficient. To get close to effectively tangible results we would need the whole world to be covered in panels. As for it being a step in the right direction, well if it can provide us any more energy without polluting more it's a good step regardless imo.

.... Well, they were completely wrong. 

 

This theoretical potential represents more energy striking the earth’s surface in one and a half hours (480 EJ)⁶⁷ than worldwide energy consumption in the year 2001 from all sources combined (430 EJ)⁶⁸. 

Which is from this scientific paper covering energy usage and ways to go renewable using Solar power written by Jeff Tsao (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Science), Nate Lewis (California Institute of Technology), and George Crabtree (Argonne National Laboratory).

 

And it comes from the "12. What is the theoretical potential of solar energy?" section. 

So basically, enough solar energy hits the Earth's surface every 1.5 hours to power the entire world for 1 year based on 2001 energy consumption rates. Which isn't even the opposite of what you said. It's beyond that. And that's even considering all the power that is deflected by our atmosphere as well (meaning it was subtracted first). So there's no way in hell we use that much energy. Absolutely no way. 

You probably read it wrong, or the people who wrote that don't know what they are talking about.

[Fred Castellum]

This won't be viable and I won't invest in em until I see specifications and testing results. 

 

I can for one tell you solar panel tech though advancing still has a long way to go.... Renovating roads with this would be costy and implemention needs severe wear and tear testing. 

[DavidTheWin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H901KdXgHs4

 

tl;dw go watch it, but the main sticking point is cost, as in world bank breaking cost.

[flibberdipper]

Come on. Don't be a downer. We all want them.

[Rorgash]

repost and some more, dont really care to find the link but yea, watch it and despair that people just threw away near 2 MILLION dollars on ignorance and retardation....

[Rorgash]

Come on. Don't be a downer. We all want them.

 

nah id rather be able to see the lines and not slip around and die because of no traction and LED's not working and the solar cells never getting any sun and so on and so on... not ONE thing about this idea will work...

[flibberdipper]

nah id rather be able to see the lines and not slip around and die because of no traction and LED's not working and the solar cells never getting any sun and so on and so on... not ONE thing about this idea will work...

I can still hope.

[darkspeedy26]

I can still hope.

im sorry, nothing about this is even remotely possible, because... physics. this is real life dude

[Rorgash]

I can still hope.

we already have teleportation, we should just put millions of dollars into researching that more instead

[DavidTheWin]

repost and some more, dont really care to find the link but yea, watch it and despair that people just threw away near 2 MILLION dollars on ignorance and retardation....

 

Oops, didn't see the original. I didn't think to look in Tech News and Reviews because this clearly doesn't belong there as it's neither news nor a review.

[Antistatic12]

For my backyard or driveway this would be good. I dont have to cut grass and it generates a bit of electricity. seems like a win win. depends on the price though.