Solar-powered roads

[jhtstone]

This is a very cool idea. Bypassing man-made obstacles, just think what this could mean.

Solar-powered roads: Coming to a highway near you?
By Teo Kermeliotis, for CNN
updated 8:56 AM EDT, Mon May 12, 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/12/tech/solar-powered-roads-coming-highway/index.html?iref=allsearch

"The Idaho-based couple received their first government contract to work on the project in 2009, and have been working to perfect it ever since. Initially, they joined forces with researchers to develop a super-strong textured glass that would offer cars the traction they require. Then, they fitted LEDs road markers to avoid destroying the cells by painting highway lines over them and heating to warm the surface and keep the system working."

 

[bobabode]

Ambitious! I like that. :thmbsp:

 

[Beatnik]

What would that cost, like a million a foot ?

 

[hunter00]

cost of photo voltic has been comeing down and efficietcies going up.Everyone should have a small solar backup system in there home just in case of natural disaster situations
I use 100 watts of solar panels with a 1000 w inverter and 2 deep cell batterys,tucks away easily in the closet.
At some point in the future up to 30 % of our power will have to come from the sun

 

[dew042]

What would that cost, like a million a foot ?

While I agree its impractical, I do believe materials that produce power are the the correct direction to be heading. No power plants. No ugly solar and wind farms.

.dew.

 

[elcoholic]

I have read that the highest quality silica used for silicon carbide abrasives is also used for PV. The demand for abrasives will ultimately render PV cost ineffective, just as it is today if the subsidies are removed. Solar isn't going to be the long term answer, but it may be a patch until we get there. Interestingly the JPL Curiosity Rover runs not on solar, but a radioisotope generator. Why? "Radioisotope electrical power and heating systems enable science missions that require greater longevity, more diverse landing locations or more power or heat than missions limited to solar power systems." Read more here.
Real science and engineering isn't betting our long term future on solar. Or at least I hope not.

In the meantime here on Earth, I'm working on 3 desert cell sites with hybrid power systems using GE's new Durathon batteries, PV and about 20% propane or diesel generation. These batteries are sodium nickel chloride and run an internal temperature of about 350*f. So no air conditioning which usually takes about half of the power to try to maintain 78*f that stationary lead acid batteries need to last about half of their so-called 20 year service life. This is the closest I've been to running a full cell site off grid without full time generators in 26 years of engineering cell sites. I'm kind of excited about these.

 

[Sam Cogley]

The solution there is working to bring down the cost of non silicon carbide PV materials.

 

[jhtstone]

The home page...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways

 

[jhtstone]

Deleted. Double post.

 

[jsisk]

Cool stuff.

 

[Mark W.]

So lets see the Hi way trust fund is about to run out of money so we can't even keep the deterioration of our roads at the rate it is now and they want to spend how much on a bunch of fly by night companies that will take the HUGE government loans and Tax credits and run off selling the tax credits to who ever on the way out. I only say this based on the herd of solar, wave and wind companies that have done this very same thing here in Oregon and across the country

Personally I'm getting tired of heating the government by burning the money.

 

[toxcrusadr]

Just because there have been some fly by night companies doesn't mean we shouldn't consider the technology. This comes from a guy who is also fairly disgusted with the inefficiency of govt contracting. :yes:

It may be expensive to install but if (IF) it was cheaper in the long run, I would be in favor of it. Road dollars come from the same place whether they're spent this year or next year.

Photovoltaics may be a stepping stone, but I don't think we're going to run out of silica, half the crust is made up of it. If there is demand, someone will build a new processing plant, won't they?

I'm looking forward to affordable Solar Shingles. :yes:

 

[Mark W.]

Name a New "Green" power generation system that pencils out. Once you remove the TAX funded support?

WIND has been around for decades and its still a joke but its great at killing bats and birds.

SOLAR has to short of duty cycle and the only ones making anything off it are the Chinese who are making all the cells that should have been made by companies like SOLARA (took 500 million and screwed us all)

 

[bobabode]

IIRC There are several old 'Green' (i.e. non-carbon polluting) electrical generating projects on the Columbia river alone, all funded by tax dollars. Those never would have been built without government help, same goes with solar and wind. We are going to run out of oil and these technologies are what we are left with until someone comes up with a non polluting fusion reactor.

 

[toxcrusadr]

World Changing Government Funded Inventions

GPS
The Internet
Bar Codes
Google
Synthetic tire belts
microchips
touch screens
vaccines
Accelerometers used in the Wii device
Fire resistant clothing

Just a few examples. Most of these were developed for a particular purpose the govt needed, but not all.

 

[elcoholic]

I work for Bechtel and my business line is very committed to developing the renewables business. We built Hoover Dam and the family still owns the company - outright Not fly-by-night or flash in the plan by any stretch. We built the Ivanpah Solar Farm for Brite Source. It's unlikely another one will be built because even the economies of scale and the efficiency of solar thermal over PV do not pencil out without the subsidies. I'm with Bob on Fusion being the answer. (We also run Lawernce Livermore btw). For my tax dollars I say use them to go mine the moon for Helium 3 and quit screwing around.