Let's Talk About Solar Roadways

[IH8PunkRok]

I am sure many of you have heard of these things, if not http://www.solarroadways.com/intro.shtml read up.

The promises of good are boundless and extraordinary

1. 3x current power production

2. new jobs

3. no snow and ice hazards

4. no more repainting or paving

5. roads that let you know of oncoming hazards

6. use recycled materials

7. can hide unsightly electrical lines and telephone wires

Many just great and wonderful things BUT there are things they do not cover

The top of the tiles are made from recycled glass, which brings up my first concern of traction. In one of the videos they say they met the traction standards but I wonder how long will that last?

The way that the panels are designed is with bumps on it similar to a basketball or football. If you look at the picture with the dog you can see them. Long periods of use will wear them away. This leads to my next point

Reduced construction on roads. Each panel can be replaced individually which will lead to reduced construction on the roads, but I cannot help thinking how long it will take to replace segments of road with this stuff. Eventually they want to replace all roads with it which will take centuries.

Then there is maintenance. Anything electrical in nature requires heavy maintenance. Not to mention this also has a computer aspect to it, which means hackers. Anything that can be hacked will eventually be hacked. Imagine driving down the road and the car in front of you is being followed by a giant penis. Classic.

Then there is theft. Each of these panels will cost a pretty penny. Anything worth money can be sold somewhere. So what is the deterrent for people taking these panels from the lesser traveled roads? They appear to just be bolted in.

And finally my personal favorite, noise. If you have ever driven over brick, or a road that has been grated before repaving imagine that ALL THE TIME. Those handy little traction nodes will make for some outstanding noise and vibration at speed.

I have more concerns with this road, but do not get me wrong. The idea is great, there are just some things that need to be ironed out. Please discuss

[Marquisboys]

There cool but they have down falls like u stated. Hacking part yes theres no doubt that these would be hacked and people would start doing crazy lightshows on them or even have lines in the road that would direct a driver off the road at night lol crazy shit would happen and what about all the bass head ground pounders lol the circuitry would be messed up

[gckless]

Very interesting idea. Biggest problem I see is the hacking. However, we protect our current electric grid pretty well, so it's not like that would be accessable to just any hacker in his Mom's basement. Could solve a LOT of problems, unfortunately the high buy-in cost is going to make it unpopular.

[kingsuv]

I worked in roadway design a few years back. While the idea is interesting, I don't see it a viable option for the public roadway. All technology aside, the substrate you are building on will always be the weakest link. Roads fail because of what they are built on.

I do however see this a perfect option in residential and light commercial. I can see this used in every driveway across america. Not only is it a easier long term application, but the infrastructure is already in place to support the connectivity. Also theft would be manageable at a personal level.

[Marquisboys]

Wait for the anonymous hacker group lol theyll have some fun with it

[IH8PunkRok]

I worked in roadway design a few years back. While the idea is interesting, I don't see it a viable option for the public roadway. All technology aside, the substrate you are building on will always be the weakest link. Roads fail because of what they are built on.

I do however see this a perfect option in residential and light commercial. I can see this used in every driveway across america. Not only is it a easier long term application, but the infrastructure is already in place to support the connectivity. Also theft would be manageable at a personal level.

I agree with you there

I also started reading there FAQ and apparently they want to use the existing roads as the base for these roads.

[kingsuv]

I worked in roadway design a few years back. While the idea is interesting, I don't see it a viable option for the public roadway. All technology aside, the substrate you are building on will always be the weakest link. Roads fail because of what they are built on.

I do however see this a perfect option in residential and light commercial. I can see this used in every driveway across america. Not only is it a easier long term application, but the infrastructure is already in place to support the connectivity. Also theft would be manageable at a personal level.

I agree with you there

I also started reading there FAQ and apparently they want to use the existing roads as the base for these roads.

That's just building on a problem.

The main issue with roads is soil liquefaction under the road base. Asphalt is porous, so as water seeps in, it allows the rock base to slowly mix with the soil under it. You commonly see this at stop lights with heavy truck traffic. Part of the road will be sunken in, while the rest lumps up from the road. There are products to help this issue, but they are costly, and as we all know municipalities won't spend any more then they must, to build something. In fact most roads are designed with a 10 year life span. yet they try to push 20 out of it. Most GC's are only contracted to warranty their work for 3 years. So design it for 10, build it to last more then 3 and save money, and hope it lasts for 20. Seams like a legit business model to me.

[Pasta Prime]

Less need for fossil fuels and less dependency upon foreign oil.

and thats why it wont happen. Not on a large scale anyways.

[hazestorm23]

I can see them doing a couple of rows on the sides of roads but not anything too big. A couple of emergency charge stations would be nice in my opinion

[Jessica]

man, in kansas they resurface the highways here about every two years. So i could see them wanting something like this.