Solar Freakin' Roadways: a 7 minute long video on just that. It's fascinating.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

[cantbeserious]

1. Sounds Great - What About Reliability Of All Those Electrical Contacts - And, Who Will Pay

eom

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Good questions, both. Not sure who would pay.

Probably some form of fee (like we have for trucks these days) would be levied.

I believe that the electrical contacts are sealed inside the panels. I recall that someone in the video talked about the necessity of making sure the panels would stand up to the rigors of traffic.

[cantbeserious]

6. A Great Idea - The Prototype Is Tantalizing - More Development Is Required - New Taxes - Not Likely

eom

[Uncle Joe]

15. At some point in the future, nanotechnology will be used.

On a thread by DeSwiss.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017203745

Electric Bacteria Connect To Form Wires

Full story: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25894

Some bacteria produce hair-like filaments that act as wires, ferrying electrons back and forth between the cells and their environment

Biologists discover electric bacteria that eat pure electrons rather than sugar, redefining the tenacity of life

(snip)

Some intrepid biologists at the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered bacteria that survives on nothing but electricity — rather than food, they eat and excrete pure electrons. These bacteria yet again prove the almost miraculous tenacity of life — but, from a technology standpoint, they might also prove to be useful in enabling the creation of self-powered nanoscale devices that clean up pollution. Some of these bacteria also have the curious ability to form into ‘biocables,’ microbial nanowires that are centimeters long and conduct electricity as well as copper wires — a capability that might one day be tapped to build long, self-assembling subsurface networks for human use.

There is more on the link, including video.

[Enthusiast]

47. I think they are suggesting private surfaces

should be tried first, like driveways and parking lots. That would make for a good trial.

[edhopper]

2. On this date we put a man on the moon

we spent a decade sparing no expense creating technology that could fly to another heavenly body.
But we have the technology now to solve two crucial problems, depleting fossil fuels and Global Climate.
And we do nothing.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. I believe the government is interested in this, so maybe something positive will come from it.

[edhopper]

5. We can only hope.

[stillwaiting]

7. Solar driveways in every home!! :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. I really liked that. Plus no ice or snow in the states that get those...Wow. :) n/t

[MohRokTah]

9. Freakin' Bullshit Scam To Take People's Money

[1monster]

16. If it isn't YOUR money, then why does it so concern you?

Even if this doesn't pan out completely, I believe it will create great benefits for our world, just as the space program created many side benefits that we use today... down to such little things as zero gravity pens and velcro.

And if it does work as the developers envision, then they will have solved some of the worst problems that face us today.

[MohRokTah]

17. Think about it logically.

PArking lots have cars parked during the day and are empty at night.

How do you get solare engery from solar panels covered up by cars?

It would be more cost effective and would produce more energy to put solar panels on structures above parking lots and roads than to use the roads themselves.

It's a scam to get people to sign up for cash donations on crowd sourcing.

[1monster]

22. I did think about it logically and donated. Parking lots are only a part of the program...

If you are so sure that you are right, then design your overhead panels for parking lots and do your own crowd-funding program... If it looks good, I'll donate to your plan too.

[MohRokTah]

36. The design already exists.

The reason it is not implemented is it is too cost prohibitive.

[RKP5637]

51. I would think ongoing maintenance and reliability would be a huge issue. n/t

[MohRokTah]

52. Absolutely. eom

[arcane1]

28. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about other people being scammed.

I worry about people spending money on ANY scam.

We developed zero gravity pens while the Russians simply used pencils. The notion that we should spend tons of money on an idea, just because we might get some new tech as a side-effect, isn't very convincing. By that logic, we should invest in every idea that comes along, just in case!

[1monster]

30. And that story is false...

http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

The difference is that I don't believe this is scam. I've heard about it since my son was in middle school and perhaps earlier than that. These people have been working on it for years and years. Those looking to scam people don't generally take that much time to build a back story.

And I believe that Solar Roadways will work far better than the naysayers are predicting, unless, of course, the naysayers and the fossil fuel profiteers succeed in quashing it.

[arcane1]

32. Also false: equating skeptics with "fossil fuel profiteers "

This is the least-efficient use of solar panels that I can think of.

Besides, one of the bigger hurdles we have to get over is the notion that everyone should have their own car.

[1monster]

37. By using them in the same sentence, I'm equating them? Yeah, sure.

The naysayers want to stop this research because they believe it is not possible.

The fossil fuel profiteers would stop it if it is feasible.

End result of both is to do away with the idea of Solar Roadways.

I say, continue on with the research and builld the prototypes and learn from it. Science never advances without trial and error.

[arcane1]

46. Exactly. People are free to waste their money on this idea, and I'm free to say it's a waste.

I'm just not impressed with what I've seen so far. It's all those externalities that aren't being considered in their video.

[MohRokTah]

40. You'd do better placing solar panels alongside riads that already have access to the grid.

Expanding the existing grid to the size of the entire US road system is cost prohibitive.

If you put solar panels alongside roads that are already alongside the gris, you'd save money and produce a system capale of providing energy, unlike "Freakin' Solar Raods".

If you placed solar panels ABOVE existing parking lots, you'd have access to the grid, would not be encumbered by parked cars during the day, and would provide the solar power cheaper than "SOLAR FREAKIN' ROADS".

There are better solutions than this scam that would actually work, unlike this scam.

[Enthusiast]

48. What a buzzkill.

Geez.

[MohRokTah]

49. Hey, it's science.

Science says they can never do what they claim they'll do.

[MohRokTah]

10. Solar Freakin' Roadways, a VERY expensive joke?

[MohRokTah]

11. Solar Roadways: so stoopid its FUNNY!!

[Brickbat]

12. Also highly, highly unlikely.

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-video-explains-why-solar-roadways-will-not-work-1584701511

[MohRokTah]

20. Most of the claimed advantages would only be possible by altering the laws of Physics.

It's a scam.

[Brickbat]

25. Yep.

[Autumn]

13. I really liked that part about no ice on the roads.

This would be a wonderful thing to do, but it will never happen with our politicians.

[MohRokTah]

18. IT would require more energy than the panels themselves could produce.

The ideal energy absorbing road would be completely black, AND WE ALREADY HAVE THAT!

The claims about no ice are pure bullshit.

[toddwv]

14. Expensive, very expensive.

Most roads would have to be redone to lay a substructure suitable for the panels.

Still, I think it would be great, particularly the part where the panels keep the roads from freezing. This alone could save, very long-term, a lot of money over asphalt that breaks up on a multiple times a year basis.

I can see this, if it is truly feasible, starting off in parking lots. Depending on how much juice they generate, they could be used to augment traditional solar panels which some lots are already erecting.

[MohRokTah]

19. The panels CANNOT keep the roads from freezing.

It is physically impossible.

[toddwv]

29. ?

The panels have heating elements built into them. These elements are tied to the grid since the panels obviously won't be producing juiced during the night.

[MohRokTah]

31. They cannot produce enough electricity to keep the roads from freezing.

And the power required to alter state of matter in water from solid to liquid is so great, it is economically impossible to do so. It is far cheaper to use plows and salt on an asphalt road to clear ice than to use electricity to melt ice.

If we used electricity to melt the ice, it would cost more than the annual GDP.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. You have made a number of claims here about how foolish a pursuit this is.

I would like to know how you know all these facts, as you state them.

What are your credentials?

[MohRokTah]

38. You obviously never viewed the videos I posted.

Videos produced by a scientist as to why this is just so much bullshit.

You lose energy by delivery. That's a physical fact.

Glass is about the worst surface for roads. That's a physical fact.

Glass as roads would become opaque very quickly diminishing the efficiency of the solar panels, that's a physical fact.

Glass as roads would become so hazardous as to make the roads unusable, that's a physical fact.

An electrical grid the size of the US interstate system would cost $20 trillion dollars, that's a physical fact.

I can go on...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

39. I took a look at a couple of them.

But you haven't answered my question.

What are your credentials? Your education? Why should I believe what you've said?

[MohRokTah]

41. I know more about it than the inventor and his wife who are pushing the scam.

Having worked in the road industry in my youth I can tell you right away, tiles are the worst possible methodology for pavement of roads.

Asphalt roads are over 90% recycled.

Using glass as a road would cause more hazards to travelers than I can enumerate in a simple internet post.

It defies logic to think anything the scammer who is pushing this claims.

You'd be better off placing solar panels along roads with access to the actual grid.

The glass alone for the road system, without the electronics and the vast infrastructure necessary to make this idea work, would cost in excess of $20 trillion. JUST FOR THE GLASS!

It's perhaps the stupidest idea ever put forward for energy production.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

42. Why are you hiding your expertise?

It's a simple question.

[MohRokTah]

43. Read the edit.

It's stupid to think this idea has any merit whatsoever.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

44. Thank you. I understand now why you believe what you believe. n/t

[MohRokTah]

45. Ther is no belief. There are only facts. eom

[MineralMan]

21. Given the resistance to maintaining our existing

roads and highways, the cost of this technology is laughably high. A great idea with no chance of implementation in the USA.

Still, work to elect Democrats in every election for the next twenty years, and it might be possible to talk about this in a couple of decades.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

23. Unfortunately, my dear MineralMan, I must agree with you.

I hope some country will implement it and show us how it's done.

[MineralMan]

24. Well, it may well not be the most practical solar

technology, anyhow. That's my guess. Roadways face massive abuse and maintenance might prove to be prohibitively costly. I think there are better alternatives, like solar roofing materials, which are also in development.

[MohRokTah]

33. From a strictly scientific standpoint, Solar Freakin' Roads are economically impossible.

There's no way to do it cost effectively.

[Rozlee]

26. Grr. All those damn flashing lights.

I'm an epileptic, for gawd's sake.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

27. Not to worry...it's probably not going to happen anytime soon.

[MohRokTah]

34. Won;t happen at all. eom

[Enthusiast]

50. Kicked and recommended!

I like the general concept.

Of course it cannot work exactly like the wildly optimistic video portrays it.

How about trying it out to see how it works before we dismiss it entirely?

[B Calm]

53. We use to do great things in the US, but I look for another country

to do this before us!