Posted December 24, 2016 (edited) The solar road concept isn't a new idea in fact many have used used its radical idea to attract people to renewable energy sources with promises of surplus amounts of electricity for all. France has opened a one kilometer road that is built on 2,800 square meters of photovoltaic cells which are meant to power its street lights. Quote Usefulness aside, the main problem with constructing solar roads is their crippling cost. One of the main selling points of Wattway, according to Colas, is that each panel is just a few millimetres thick, and can thus be installed on top of an existing road, which in turn massively reduces construction costs. Having said that, the 1km road in Normandy cost €5 million (£4.3m) to build. And that's for a single lane of a two-lane highway! There are of course more concerns than just the initial cost of building the solar road given that maintenance will probably carry most of the costs over the years because of the cars and trucks that will eventually have to use it. Quote The Wattway brochure suggests that 2,800 square metres of solar roadway ought to be able to power about 140 homes—about 420MWh per year. Though clearly, if they are just looking to power the village's street lights, they're not expecting anywhere near 420MWh in reality—perhaps due to the low amount of direct sunlight in Normandy. I'm personally still very pessimistic about the prospect of solar roads because of the absurd costs it would take to build them compared to just building solar panels on roofs and power plants which are already becoming increasingly cheap in fact its one of the cheapest sources of power. In fact, the Scientific American and multiple people on YouTube have pointed out how hard it would be to even consider to build so many solar roadways. Source: Ars Technica Edited December 24, 2016 by DatSpeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 Too early, too expensive, but a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 Well it's neat and all, but extracting silicon is not a clean process and we might run it out We have a NEW and GLORIOUSER-ER-ER PSU Tier List Now. (dammit @LukeSavenije stop coming up with new ones) You can check out the old one that gave joy to so many across the land here Computer having a hard time powering on? Troubleshoot it with this guide. (Currently looking for suggestions to update it into the context of <current year> and make it its own thread) Computer Specs: Spoiler Mathresolvermajig: Intel Xeon E3 1240 (Sandy Bridge i7 equivalent) Chillinmachine: Noctua NH-C14S Framepainting-inator: EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Hybrid Attachcorethingy: Gigabyte H61M-S2V-B3 Infoholdstick: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1333 Computerarmor: Silverstone RL06 "Lookalike" Rememberdoogle: 1TB HDD + 120GB TR150 + 240 SSD Plus + 1TB MX500 AdditionalPylons: Phanteks AMP! 550W (based on Seasonic GX-550) Letterpad: Rosewill Apollo 9100 (Cherry MX Red) Buttonrodent: Razer Viper Mini + Huion H430P drawing Tablet Auralnterface: Sennheiser HD 6xx Liquidrectangles: LG 27UK850-W 4K HDR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 1 minute ago, Jorgen297 said: Not really, the concept will always be flawed until roads are the only place left to put solar panels. Imo. Well that's why I said too early, I think they will be refined in time to the point where they are very effective. But it'll take a lot of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 i must add to this that the "solar freaking roadways" BS really doesnt apply here, because this concept is much closer to what the dutch already proved to be functional, with a bike lane. the solar panels arent the structural piece of the road, they are essentially just a *top layer* which is -unlike solar freaking roadyways- not laminated glass that's gonna do all kinds of bad things. beyond that, stated in the quote from the article, they are keeping their expectations low -- and dont waste more power than is generated for LED bullshit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 So you're saying a thin milimeter thick panel is ok for cars and trucks to drive through? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 The resources required to create said road greatly outweigh its benefit if its main function is to power street lights, what a waste. https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 What a waste of money, they should build the solar panels above the road to actually generate electricity and block the sun from the drivers(which if you're driving in the shade, it will be cooler in your car, meaning you won't need to run your air conditioning or run it as hard, saving you fuel or extending your battery life. Also it will help keep the road from getting wet/frozen, making it safer.). Solar freaking roadways, what a horrible idea... *Risky click of the day* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 (edited) Why not just fill the roofs with solar panels I imagine it would be cheaper and it would generate more electricity Edit: Oh and imagine glass vs tires in the rain Edited December 24, 2016 by T3Kgamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 It's been a stupid idea from the start. Why focus on adding solar panels to some of the most populated areas when we could focus on adding them to less populated areas where they require less upkeep, and can produce more power? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 1 minute ago, T3Kgamer said: Why not just fill the roofs with solar panels I imagine it would be cheaper and it would generate more electricity The government cannot force you to put solar panels on your roof but yes the materials should be cheaper though you'd be installing to numerous locations thus increasing labor costs, either way current solar technology isn't the future it is merely a prototype until storage tech improves or we find something better. 1 minute ago, Benjals said: them to less populated areas where they require less upkeep Populated areas use power while unpopulated areas don't, and power doesn't flow over a power line for ever the farther from a source you are the more is loss on the line, eventually all the power is loss if the distance is far enough. https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 4 minutes ago, QueenDemetria said: What a waste of money, they should build the solar panels above the road to actually generate electricity and block the sun from the drivers(which if you're driving in the shade, it will be cooler in your car, meaning you won't need to run your air conditioning or run it as hard, saving you fuel or extending your battery life. Also it will help keep the road from getting wet/frozen, making it safer.). This is what I've been saying for years. Cor Caeruleus Reborn v6 Spoiler CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K CPU Cooler: be quiet! - PURE ROCK Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver - 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste Motherboard: ASRock Z370 Extreme4 Memory: G.Skill TridentZ RGB 2x8GB 3200/14 Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive Storage: Western Digital - Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive Video Card: EVGA - 970 SSC ACX (1080 is in RMA) Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA P2 750W with CableMod blue/black Pro Series Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit and Linux Mint Serena Keyboard: Logitech - G910 Orion Spectrum RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Logitech - G502 Wired Optical Mouse Headphones: Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset Speakers: Logitech - Z506 155W 5.1ch Speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 All those panels, and they power the road lights with them!? Current LTT F@H Rank: 90 Score: 2,503,680,659 Stats Yes, I have 9 monitors. My main PC (Hybrid Windows 10/Arch Linux): OS: Arch Linux w/ XFCE DE (VFIO-Patched Kernel) as host OS, windows 10 as guest CPU: Ryzen 9 3900X w/PBO on (6c 12t for host, 6c 12t for guest) Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Mobo: Asus X470-F Gaming RAM: 32GB G-Skill Ripjaws V @ 3200MHz (12GB for host, 20GB for guest) GPU: Guest: EVGA RTX 3070 FTW3 ULTRA Host: 2x Radeon HD 8470 PSU: EVGA G2 650W SSDs: Guest: Samsung 850 evo 120 GB, Samsung 860 evo 1TB Host: Samsung 970 evo 500GB NVME HDD: Guest: WD Caviar Blue 1 TB Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Black w/ Tempered Glass Side Panel Upgrade Other: White LED strip to illuminate the interior. Extra fractal intake fan for positive pressure. unRAID server (Plex, Windows 10 VM, NAS, Duplicati, game servers): OS: unRAID 6.11.2 CPU: Ryzen R7 2700x @ Stock Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S Mobo: Asus Prime X470-Pro RAM: 16GB G-Skill Ripjaws V + 16GB Hyperx Fury Black @ stock GPU: EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 PSU: EVGA G3 850W SSD: Samsung 970 evo NVME 250GB, Samsung 860 evo SATA 1TB HDDs: 4x HGST Dekstar NAS 4TB @ 7200RPM (3 data, 1 parity) Case: Sillverstone GD08B Other: Added 3x Noctua NF-F12 intake, 2x Noctua NF-A8 exhaust, Inatek 5 port USB 3.0 expansion card with usb 3.0 front panel header Details: 12GB ram, GTX 1080, USB card passed through to windows 10 VM. VM's OS drive is the SATA SSD. Rest of resources are for Plex, Duplicati, Spaghettidetective, Nextcloud, and game servers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 INVEST IN NUCLEAR ALREADY. SOLAR ENERGY STILL CAN'T MEET OUR ENERGY DEMANDS. (At least in the U.S.) "If you ain't first, you're last" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 5 minutes ago, Memories4K said: (At least in the U.S.) Pretty sure nuclear is required for Europe's demands as well, solar isn't the answer for now and at the very least we need better storage to make it viable Actually if this is in france they already did Quote France has 58 nuclear reactors operated by Electricite de France (EdF), with total capacity of 63.2 GWe, supplying 416 billion kWh (net) in 2014, 77% of the total generated there (RTE data). https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 7 minutes ago, Memories4K said: INVEST IN NUCLEAR ALREADY. SOLAR ENERGY STILL CAN'T MEET OUR ENERGY DEMANDS. (At least in the U.S.) And not just fission, but fusion as well. Seriously, whats the point in trying to do crap like this when we could have stupid amounts of energy with fusion if we would only invest in it and figure it out? Current LTT F@H Rank: 90 Score: 2,503,680,659 Stats Yes, I have 9 monitors. My main PC (Hybrid Windows 10/Arch Linux): OS: Arch Linux w/ XFCE DE (VFIO-Patched Kernel) as host OS, windows 10 as guest CPU: Ryzen 9 3900X w/PBO on (6c 12t for host, 6c 12t for guest) Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Mobo: Asus X470-F Gaming RAM: 32GB G-Skill Ripjaws V @ 3200MHz (12GB for host, 20GB for guest) GPU: Guest: EVGA RTX 3070 FTW3 ULTRA Host: 2x Radeon HD 8470 PSU: EVGA G2 650W SSDs: Guest: Samsung 850 evo 120 GB, Samsung 860 evo 1TB Host: Samsung 970 evo 500GB NVME HDD: Guest: WD Caviar Blue 1 TB Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Black w/ Tempered Glass Side Panel Upgrade Other: White LED strip to illuminate the interior. Extra fractal intake fan for positive pressure. unRAID server (Plex, Windows 10 VM, NAS, Duplicati, game servers): OS: unRAID 6.11.2 CPU: Ryzen R7 2700x @ Stock Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S Mobo: Asus Prime X470-Pro RAM: 16GB G-Skill Ripjaws V + 16GB Hyperx Fury Black @ stock GPU: EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 PSU: EVGA G3 850W SSD: Samsung 970 evo NVME 250GB, Samsung 860 evo SATA 1TB HDDs: 4x HGST Dekstar NAS 4TB @ 7200RPM (3 data, 1 parity) Case: Sillverstone GD08B Other: Added 3x Noctua NF-F12 intake, 2x Noctua NF-A8 exhaust, Inatek 5 port USB 3.0 expansion card with usb 3.0 front panel header Details: 12GB ram, GTX 1080, USB card passed through to windows 10 VM. VM's OS drive is the SATA SSD. Rest of resources are for Plex, Duplicati, Spaghettidetective, Nextcloud, and game servers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 Just now, sazrocks said: And not just fission, but fusion as well. Seriously, whats the point in trying to do crap like this when we could have stupid amounts of energy with fusion if we would only invest in it? Consumer or public perception of the technology. Cor Caeruleus Reborn v6 Spoiler CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K CPU Cooler: be quiet! - PURE ROCK Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver - 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste Motherboard: ASRock Z370 Extreme4 Memory: G.Skill TridentZ RGB 2x8GB 3200/14 Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive Storage: Western Digital - Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive Video Card: EVGA - 970 SSC ACX (1080 is in RMA) Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA P2 750W with CableMod blue/black Pro Series Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit and Linux Mint Serena Keyboard: Logitech - G910 Orion Spectrum RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Logitech - G502 Wired Optical Mouse Headphones: Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset Speakers: Logitech - Z506 155W 5.1ch Speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 Just now, ARikozuM said: Consumer or public perception of the technology. Which is unfortunate, because fusion creates much less waste, has zero chance of melting down, and is way cheaper. Or were you referring to the solar panels? Current LTT F@H Rank: 90 Score: 2,503,680,659 Stats Yes, I have 9 monitors. My main PC (Hybrid Windows 10/Arch Linux): OS: Arch Linux w/ XFCE DE (VFIO-Patched Kernel) as host OS, windows 10 as guest CPU: Ryzen 9 3900X w/PBO on (6c 12t for host, 6c 12t for guest) Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Mobo: Asus X470-F Gaming RAM: 32GB G-Skill Ripjaws V @ 3200MHz (12GB for host, 20GB for guest) GPU: Guest: EVGA RTX 3070 FTW3 ULTRA Host: 2x Radeon HD 8470 PSU: EVGA G2 650W SSDs: Guest: Samsung 850 evo 120 GB, Samsung 860 evo 1TB Host: Samsung 970 evo 500GB NVME HDD: Guest: WD Caviar Blue 1 TB Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Black w/ Tempered Glass Side Panel Upgrade Other: White LED strip to illuminate the interior. Extra fractal intake fan for positive pressure. unRAID server (Plex, Windows 10 VM, NAS, Duplicati, game servers): OS: unRAID 6.11.2 CPU: Ryzen R7 2700x @ Stock Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S Mobo: Asus Prime X470-Pro RAM: 16GB G-Skill Ripjaws V + 16GB Hyperx Fury Black @ stock GPU: EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 PSU: EVGA G3 850W SSD: Samsung 970 evo NVME 250GB, Samsung 860 evo SATA 1TB HDDs: 4x HGST Dekstar NAS 4TB @ 7200RPM (3 data, 1 parity) Case: Sillverstone GD08B Other: Added 3x Noctua NF-F12 intake, 2x Noctua NF-A8 exhaust, Inatek 5 port USB 3.0 expansion card with usb 3.0 front panel header Details: 12GB ram, GTX 1080, USB card passed through to windows 10 VM. VM's OS drive is the SATA SSD. Rest of resources are for Plex, Duplicati, Spaghettidetective, Nextcloud, and game servers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 1 minute ago, sazrocks said: Seriously, whats the point in trying to do crap like this when we could have stupid amounts of energy with fusion if we would only invest in it and figure it out? 1) Bribery 2) Hippies think nuclear is bad (essentially what ARikozuM said) 3) Fusion is likely a pipe dream, gravity forces are what keeps a star consistently undergoing fusion thus you can imagine the kind of force required to maintain a fusion reaction simply by finding what the smallest possible star's gravity is. (hint its a lot of force required) https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 14 minutes ago, AresKrieger said: The government cannot force you to put solar panels on your roof but yes the materials should be cheaper though you'd be installing to numerous locations thus increasing labor costs, either way current solar technology isn't the future it is merely a prototype until storage tech improves or we find something better. Populated areas use power while unpopulated areas don't, and power doesn't flow over a power line for ever the farther from a source you are the more is loss on the line, eventually all the power is loss if the distance is far enough. By less populated I mean where cars aren't constantly driving over them, requiring the panels to be fitted with thick protective glass that lessens the efficiency of the panel. If they are just a bit out of the way of human contact, they will require less protection meaning higher efficiency. Also if cars aren't constantly driving over them they will be producing more energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 8 minutes ago, sazrocks said: And not just fission, but fusion as well. Seriously, whats the point in trying to do crap like this when we could have stupid amounts of energy with fusion if we would only invest in it and figure it out? Sure, still try to improve nuclear energy but i mean fission's not terrible and so much better than "non-renewable energy sources" so definitely don't wait. 7 minutes ago, ARikozuM said: Consumer or public perception of the technology. I ALMOST VOTED FOR THAT NUTJOB, JILL STEIN, WHO THINKS NUCLEAR REACTORS WILL CAUSE ATOMIC EXPLOSIONS. 2 minutes ago, AresKrieger said: 1) Bribery 2) Hippies think nuclear is bad (essentially what ARikozuM said) 3) Fusion is likely a pipe dream, gravity forces are what keeps a star consistently undergoing fusion thus you can imagine the kind of force required to maintain a fusion reaction simply by finding what the smallest possible star's gravity is. (hint its a lot of force required) 1) I don't doubt politics and money play into it 2) J I L L S T E I N 3) Honestly, it probably is; Thorium reactors seem to be the new kid on the block though "If you ain't first, you're last" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 1 minute ago, Benjals said: By less populated I mean where cars aren't constantly driving over them, requiring the panels to be fitted with thick protective glass that lessens the efficiency of the panel. Ah I see, well regardless I think we can all agree solar roadways are far from a viable solution to energy demands, personally I'd focus on bio generated fuels (algae that makes diesel fuel for example), nuclear and things like hydro and geothermal if I had control of this but sensible people don't call the shots. https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 2 minutes ago, Memories4K said: 3) Honestly, it probably is; Thorium reactors seem to be the new kid on the block though Oh yes thorium is very viable, its essentially a modified U-235 process just requiring a catalyst (often a small piece of U-235) then it is self generating, though be careful with the info on thorium reactors a lot of it is misleading (I did a paper on the subject) https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 4 minutes ago, AresKrieger said: Ah I see, well regardless I think we can all agree solar roadways are far from a viable solution to energy demands, personally I'd focus on bio generated fuels (algae that makes diesel fuel for example), nuclear and things like hydro and geothermal if I had control of this but sensible people don't call the shots. Most of my area in Florida has solar panels for the street lights along the highway. If they could add solar panels above the highway, it would be best. Cor Caeruleus Reborn v6 Spoiler CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K CPU Cooler: be quiet! - PURE ROCK Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver - 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste Motherboard: ASRock Z370 Extreme4 Memory: G.Skill TridentZ RGB 2x8GB 3200/14 Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive Storage: Western Digital - Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive Video Card: EVGA - 970 SSC ACX (1080 is in RMA) Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA P2 750W with CableMod blue/black Pro Series Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit and Linux Mint Serena Keyboard: Logitech - G910 Orion Spectrum RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Logitech - G502 Wired Optical Mouse Headphones: Logitech - G430 7.1 Channel Headset Speakers: Logitech - Z506 155W 5.1ch Speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 24, 2016 1 minute ago, ARikozuM said: If they could add solar panels above the highway, it would be best. If the goal is simply to power the lights then yes, however I'm talking about grid viability which solar doesn't have much given how much it fluctuates and how horrid battery tech is currently. https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/ Tier Breakdown (My understanding)--1 Godly, 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Average, 5 Meh, 6 Bad, 7 Awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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