Why in the weepin creepin jesus are we not funding this?!?!?

[HoughMade]

Necropost....kinda, but I just ran across these videos.

Why aren't we funding this? Because it is a pipe dream. Maybe some day....but no time soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obS6TUVSZds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOZBrHqTJk4

Under $10 a year of electricity produced per tile (much less than the cost of the tile even over 10 years)...under ideal conditions....no proof that the glass is an adequate road surface...24% of the electricity consumed by the LEDs (bestcase scenario)...MORE than all of the electricity consumed if they try to heat them.

...and this is a guy who loves solar and has his own system.

ETA: removed the imbed....honestly, as old fashioned and polite as I try to be most of the time...I never really viewed "bull****" as that much of a swear....but maybe that's my rural upbringing.

Nothing I can do about the quote.

 

[mbills2223]

IT LIVES

 

[chezuki]

Ermagherd!! Bad language prominently displayed!!!! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!





...but seriously, you might want to link those videos rather than imbed them.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Necropost....kinda, but I just ran across these videos.

Why aren't we funding this? Because it is a pipe dream. Maybe some day....but no time soon.

[video=youtube;obS6TUVSZds]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obS6TUVSZds&src_vid=HOZBrHqTJk4&feature=iv &annotation_id=annotation_678279473[/video]

[video=youtube;HOZBrHqTJk4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOZBrHqTJk4[/video]

Under $10 a year of electricity produced per tile (much less than the cost of the tile even over 10 years)...under ideal conditions....no proof that the glass is an adequate road surface...24% of the electricity consumed by the LEDs (bestcase scenario)...MORE than all of the electricity consumed if they try to heat them.

...and this is a guy who loves solar and has his own system.

Pffft, no. It's because lobbying by "the interests" keep the sun from shining on them at full strength.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I drove past the second solar farm at the airport today. They seem to be facing at least 60 degrees west compared to the original one, and much more vertical. I'm confused. Are they just not aimed yet, or did the ideal position change 500' over?

 

[chezuki]

I drove past the second solar farm at the airport today. They seem to be facing at least 60 degrees west compared to the original one, and much more vertical. I'm confused. Are they just not aimed yet, or did the ideal position change 500' over?

I actually drive past there daily on my way to work. They are still finishing the installation and calibration. All of the panels and materials were stored at the site where I used to work and I got to talk to the guys a bit that are doing the install. They do vary the angles so that there are always a certain number in direct sunlight at a given time.

While I think the "solar roads" are [STRIKE]reta[/STRIKE] oops silly, the solar farm idea for otherwise unused space is kinda neat. However, until we develop a means to store the power created on a large scale, the solar farms, much like the wind farms, will still take a very long time to offset their own cost in energy production.

 

[HoughMade]

Solar? Great...solar roads? Not so much.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

"They" are wanting to put a solar panel installation in at my plant. However, apparently Indiana doesn't have the needed subsidies that other states do and Duke has already taken on all the solar "co-generation" they want to for this year, so it's looking doubtful it can be financially feasible.

 

[Leo]

Nothing that requires taxpayer subsidy to fund is a viable investment, just like ethanol and windmills. When a system is viable, private business will be shoveling money at the project with front loaders.

 

[nakinate]

I don't understand the idea of using government money to fund a project like this. If it is a viable form of energy then the private sector will gladly fund it. If the private sector is staying away from it then in all likelihood it sucks. That idea may not be applicable in all situations, but is venture to say it generally works.

 

[TaunTaun]

This is why...

 

[pudly]

This is why...

Looks shovel-ready to me.

 

[TaunTaun]

Looks shovel-ready to me.

Yeah, and would require at least two years of contract talks in order to finally bid it out...

 

[Phase2]

Well, the definitive answer is finally in. The reason why we aren't funding this with our tax dollars?

The world's first solar road has turned out to be a colossal failure that's falling apart and doesn't generate enough energy, according to a report

They never did have a believable story how it would hold up long-term to both weather and wear-and-tear to pay for itself. Turns out that it never came close.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Well, the definitive answer is finally in. The reason why we aren't funding this with our tax dollars?

The world's first solar road has turned out to be a colossal failure that's falling apart and doesn't generate enough energy, according to a report

They never did have a believable story how it would hold up long-term to both weather and wear-and-tear to pay for itself. Turns out that it never came close.

 

[Spear Dane]

There is an Aussie EE on you tube that totally destroyed the concept long ago.

 

[Thor]

They've seen IN roads right? A power plant with potholes...great...

 

[JettaKnight]

There is an Aussie EE on you tube that totally destroyed the concept long ago.

Yeah - it's embedded here, about ten post above yours.