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For a while now, I've been advocating heated roadways, and apparently now the federal government has spent a little money on R&D for these solar panel roads. The roads are made of LED lighting and glass and contain compartments for wiring and heating.
I hope these things become a reality in CT someday. What do you think?
Here is a 7-minute video infomercial on solar roadways. Looks AMAZING!
It seems like huge investment.. If the project clicks the power crisis will be solved to an extent..
For a while now, I've been advocating heated roadways, and apparently now the federal government has spent a little money on R&D for these solar panel roads. The roads are made of LED lighting and glass and contain compartments for wiring and heating.
I hope these things become a reality in CT someday. What do you think?
Here is a 7-minute video infomercial on solar roadways. Looks AMAZING!
Honestly, if this could be done in a cost effective manner on a large scale, it could probably be as beneficial to getting people to stay up north as AC was in getting people to move down south.
Yes I am an accountant. That doesn't mean that I'm God when it comes to financial analysis.
If you actually watched the damn video, you would see that the cost benefit is excellent.
The video is a pipe dream-they have provided no data to back up the costs, performance or reliability of the proposed system. They don't even have estimates of manufacturing costs of the panels or construction costs of the roads. To date, "solar roadways" consists of one tiny parking area.
Here's an interesting update on the solar roadways research, from the perspective of a Government engineer. The news is mixed...
On the positive side, their Indigogo fund raiser was wildly successful, raising $2.2 million, which will allow for more research.
On the other hand, many of the key questions have not been answered yet, such as whether the road surface will be safe in wet or icy weather, and whether the solar aspect is even feasible. It turns out that in the demos only the LED lighting and controls actually worked.
Quote:
So with years of testing now done, is it possible to say whether Solar Roadways' long-term vision of paving highways and roads with solar actually makes sense?
Weaver said the DOT isn't even close to saying if it could be used for high-impact environments. But he did not dismiss the concept entirely.
"I believe the application can be used for smaller scale purposes -- potentially, pedestrian walkways and sidewalks that get lower load and have fewer safety considerations," he said. "For roads, there are so many unknowns."
Yup, so when it gets really cold, just where do you think all the wild animals will congregate?
But that is another problem and someone else's too.
Yes, lets heat the roads, forget that seniors freeze to death in the Winters but by golly lets make sure the car drivers don't have to learn how to drive in snow.
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Update on Solar Roadways
