EEVblog #632 - Solar Roadways Are BULLSHIT!

[Brumby]

It didn't look like there was any ice going on there.

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

Spot the difference...

IDK?

[FloFo]

Spot the difference...

IDK?

Look at the second word of the title ...

[rrinker]

 LOL.

So, Solar Roadways - since these things aren't even being driven on, how do you explain the years of R&D you've done and all the money you've taken and can't even get a bunch of glass plates with LEDs to work reliably? Imagine if this were actually int he parking lot and the weight of cars drove over these panels.

[oPossum]

Stats are live

https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/V3vh1173801/overview

[grumpydoc]

Stats are live

https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/V3vh1173801/overview

So, 750watt hours on their best day.

Not exactly very impressive.

[Fungus]

160 watts peak out of how many m²? 5 or 6...?

Not good.

[drussell]

I wonder how many Wh the LEDs consume in 24h...

[timgiles]

43Watts max output. I suppose its enough to .... nah not even worth me trying to think of something to write... epic fail.

[Rakcom]

Is is not enough to light two light bulbs in that bathroom of theirs? 

[Delta]

Oh Em Gee.  On their best day, that ridiculously expensive, completely impractical monstrosity produced ten pence of electricity, yes £0.10 at UK prices. (About five cents at US prices?)

 

Dave, PLEASE do a follow up video with $/kWp and $/kWh/year comparisons...

[grumpydoc]

Here is a picture of my shed.



You will note that you can't see the actual shed for the trees which pretty effectively shade the shed - however I have been toying with the idea of putting a panel or perhaps two on the roof with the aim of keeping a battery charged enough to put in a couple of 15 or 20W LED fittings as I have no light in there at present.

I bet I'd get more output there than Solar Frisking Roadways are managing at the moment.

[RGB255_0_0]

Oh Em Gee.  On their best day, that ridiculously expensive, completely impractical monstrosity produced ten pence of electricity, yes £0.10 at UK prices. (About five cents at US prices?)

 

Dave, PLEASE do a follow up video with $/kWp and $/kWh/year comparisons...

It's bad, but it is March. Will be very interesting to see how they perform over the summer months. Anyone want to calculate how long it'd take to break even the cost of those panels, let alone the entire funding costs?

[PlainName]

how they perform over the summer months

That's the important factor. Worth noting that the best output managed, 750Wh, was on a rainy day. It's surprising they got any output at all!

[grumpydoc]

It's bad, but it is March. Will be very interesting to see how they perform over the summer months. Anyone want to calculate how long it'd take to break even the cost of those panels, let alone the entire funding costs?

If this table of insolation values is reliable http://stalix.com/isolation.pdf one would expect just under twice as much output in Jul/Aug as in March, on average.

Edit: I suppose that the Solar Roadways might pick up more in the summer as they are going to be more affected by the incident angle of sunlight.

[PlainName]

he incident angle of sunlight

I wonder if they've done anything to mitigate the horizontalness of the panels. For instance, they might be able to tilt the individual cells internally (and then the panels would need to be laid in a specific orientation). I also recall reading of some enhanced panel that used clever micro-lensing to achieve perpendicular rays regardless of panel attitude (within reason).

But I am pretty sure that if Roadways had thought of or used something like that they'd be bragging about it quite loudly, so perhaps not.

[Fungus]

how they perform over the summer months

That's the important factor. Worth noting that the best output managed, 750Wh, was on a rainy day. It's surprising they got any output at all!

Maybe their watt-meters are more optimistic in the rain. 

[james_s]

From the issues they've had, it looks like the infrastructure is already being pushed to the limit. If the power almost doubles in the summer the wiring might catch fire again.

While I have not taken measurements, there is a solar powered aspiration fan in my weather station and on cloudy days it doesn't usually run at all, but in direct sun it hums a long briskly. I think the energy output in direct sunlight is a lot more than double, then again I'm not sure what the weather is like where this solar sidewalk is located, maybe it isn't cloudy in March like it is most of the time here.

[PlainName]

the energy output in direct sunlight is a lot more than double

I'd say that's rather conservative! If they're having problems with a few LEDs, a nice summer day is going to give them a bit of a shock, I think

[gildasd]

the energy output in direct sunlight is a lot more than double

I'd say that's rather conservative! If they're having problems with a few LEDs, a nice summer day is going to give them a bit of a shock, I think

"Solar burnin' roadways".

[moz]

you can't see the shed for the trees...  I bet I'd get more output there than Solar Frisking Roadways are managing at the moment.

To reach their 750Wh/day I reckon a 100W panel in decent sun, or for you 5 or 6 40W panels with a controller each (like the Julian Illet PWM ones) would healp with shading and you might be pleasantly surprised at the output. I will happily match Solar Roadways pricing if you'd like to buy such a setup off me

[EEVblog]

Stats are live
https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/V3vh1173801/overview

I know I shouldn't do another video, but we have been waiting years for data!
Does anyone know if this is NET export to the grid (i.e. includes the LED consumption), or is actually gross output from the solar panels only?
I presume it's gross output, as surely that is what you want to test and would give the best marketing numbers possible.

[Brumby]

I presume it's gross output, as surely that is what you want to test and would give the best marketing numbers possible.

That's where my money would be.

[Domagoj T]

Does it matter?
On one hand you have bugger all production, on the other there's bugger all production + piss poor performance.

[EEVblog]

Does it matter?
On one hand you have bugger all production, on the other there's bugger all production + piss poor performance.

Yeah, not really, just wanted to get it right. I could run typical numbers for those LEDs anyway.