If You Need Any Convincing That Solar Roadways Are The Future, This Video Will Help

a reply to: nighthawk1954

Great video!

This video shows how green technology should be marketed. It should state the facts while also being cool and building up support through social media. I'm all for green technology and I think we need this transition for scientific reasons.

The Kardashev scale according to Dr. Kaku says we're a type 0 civilization and one of the ways to help are transition to a type 1 civilization is to exploit energy from our sun and cleaner energy.

What I'm against is the politics of global warming. You have these fanatics in the political arena who will use these things as an excuse to try and control the behavior of others.

I think this Solar Freakin' Roadways is a blueprint on how you should market green technologies and leave the political global warming fanaticism behind. Once green technology catches on it will have a boom in the market. We don't need corrupt Politicians saying you need to do this or that in the name of saving the planet.

This video has over 14 million views on You Tube already and they raised close to 2 million dollars on Indiegogo, so this is the way you market and promote these ideas not through the fear mongering of corrupt Politicians who are global warming fanatics.

a reply to: Kali74

Honestly Kali I do feel badly. I'd love to see something along these lines happen. At first I was all gung-ho for Solar Freaking Roadways, but I had a few concerns. But still, I'd love to something like this tried. But, I happened on the above video and a whole heap of things I hadn't even considered started to crop up....

Honestly, I'd much prefer to see the above road option because of these points.

1. Above the road won't be damaged over time by traffic.
2. Not in shade when the freeways turn into the inevitable traffic jam.
3. Give the ability to provide free downward facing lighting. This cuts light pollution as well!
4. Far cheaper to install, and maintain and add onto existing roads with little traffic disruption overall.
5. Far better visibility because rain and snow and ice and hail is ALL no longer going to cause problems for vehicles due to new protections.
6. Now that roads no longer suffer water damage, things like pot holes will be reduced!
7. Any lit up digital signage will be able to hang under the solar panels in shade, which now will be easy to see because they will no longer be in full sun.
8. Power/data lines would now be easily installed/hidden/maintained or updated. Tidy!
9. Sadly though, it wont look quite like Freaking Tron out there.
10. I'd love to see the idea but have a nature stip arc over the road say every 1/2 kilometer so that animals will be able to cross over the roads safely. I'd hope they nature breaks (in my head) would be around 100 meters wide, and well planted to make animal crossing as comfortable as it could be for animals and/or people etc. Although my version would cost a tonne more money than the simple shed-roof-solar panel idea. But I think it would look nicer.
Actually, now I think about it, the above shed/panel could now have a light traffic path on the side for bicyclists!



So I really take no joy in being negative (in your eyes) - in fact I'm quite the opposite. I'm very keen on the idea but it needs careful thinking and a half hour discussion going over things properly far better educated me on the pro's/cons, so I've adjusted my thoughts on how something similar can be done.
So please don't lose faith in the idea, rather be flexible, positive and most importantly - realistic.

a reply to: Qumulys

I apologize for misreading you, it read trollish to me. That said, much of what the video you posted is addressed in this thread and in detail in the FAQs which are linked. So really we have the creators claims of why it can work vs the persons behind the counter video claiming that they can't. The creators have a contract with the Department of Transportation to make a prototype and the creators have raised enough money to begin limited manufacturing and as of the other day are beginning to look at space (in the US, yay) for a facility. In the relatively near future we should have a concrete answer as to whether they can work or not.

I guess I just don't understand the need for people to stomp on something before experiments have begun... and to caveat, they do work... what needs to be seen is whether or not they work on an actually trafficked road in all conditions.

a reply to: Kali74

Possibly they could. But I'd say if it was to have any chance to work, the size of the tiles needs to be reduced. But there was a lot of issues that the Solar Roadways team seem to have gotten rather wrong, which has made me question their abilities.
Such as the ability to re-map car spaces in carparks. In theory, good. But in practice why spend so much money on a solar array, only to have cars parked on it all day, and when it's empty it's at night-time!
I felt a bit silly myself that I hadn't even considered that, I just thought it was awesome because I'm always struggling to find a wheelchair space to park and a flexible car park would be brilliant.

Also, the claims about melting snow... Hmmm... To do this would need so much power, which isn't available because the roads are covered in snow! So, that kind of bummed me out about that idea too.

But, if the panels were just made simple and put on a shed-roof above the roadway, I can indeed see where it would work. I hope they consider doing that with there trials.
It would even be possible to then use projectors to change lane markings by projecting in down onto the road. Just think, no more wet weather driving! There is a life saver there.
Not only that, but the panels can be angled to the sun far more efficiently to collect light!

I'm very sorry if I sounded like a troll. I do wan't this tech in my worlds future too, but I really hope a few more options are trialed and from a few more companies so that we get something that's workable, affordable and enhances our world.