EEVblog #632 - Solar Roadways Are BULLSHIT!

[ataradov]

That is actually another real issue. Right now there is no sense stealing asphalt from the roadways, but copper wiring gets stolen here by homeless bastards all the time. Imagine if they can get their hands on the road surface?

[Towger]

Great video. Dodgy looking characters wandering around in the night and a fine example of parking.

Over here slipping on the path and suing the council is more lucrative. If you are poor you get free legal aid, so nothing to loose.

[bktemp]

That is actually another real issue. Right now there is no sense stealing asphalt from the roadways, but copper wiring gets stolen here by homeless bastards all the time. Imagine if they can get their hands on the road surface?

If somebody wants to steal the wiring from the solar roadways installation, they have already been pulled out and put in the trash bin (last few minutes of the video)!

Does this mean the new panels will have all pins connected and will be fully functional (producing power and the LEDs will be synchronised)? Otherwise it does not make sense to me why they need to replace the wiring.

[jancumps]

Indiegogo podcast with Solar Roadways:
https://go.indiegogo.com/blog/2016/11/solar-roadways-clean-energy.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmediaowned&utm_campaign=solarroadways_iggmediasource&utm_content=blog&r=twt00005

[johndoe123]

I really wonder if they will show the energy used by the heating elements, once the website is working. I bet they will only show the energy generated by the panels, which, of course, will be positive but they will hide the energy consumed by leds and heating.

[ataradov]

Is there any info on when this thing is going back online? They will probably skip the winter. Convenient, is not it?

[johndoe123]

according to their time plan it should be replaced in November. I think they said in the podcast they want to show how the panels are snow and ice free. (they actually revealed a few details about the new SR4 panel in the podcast)

I just checked the weather in Sandpoint, its getting cold!

[ataradov]

according to their time plan it should be replaced in November.

Well, it is 2 days until November is over. Cutting it a bit close, I see.

[LabSpokane]

SR says webcam will be back when their 3.1 install is complete, but giving no dates. Until they say they're ready, there's no point going to Sandpoint for a look.

[ataradov]

Well, in real life people expect dates. People miss dates all the time, it is life, deal with it. But not setting a date is an amateur hour.

I wish I could say to my employer "Hard at work, go away".

[johndoe123]

on the SR energy monitoring website (cant find the link anymore) it said that the panels will be upgraded to 3.1 in November.

[Delta]

Maybe they are waiting for their Batteriseroos to arrive?

[johndoe123]

The new sandpoint panels
https://twitter.com/SolarRoadways/status/804840586108932097

[lpaseen]

on the SR energy monitoring website (cant find the link anymore) it said that the panels will be upgraded to 3.1 in November.

did they say 2016 ? Maybe they meant 2017 or 2032 or so

[rrinker]

 Maybe they've been taking advice from the Batteroo management team...

[nuclearcat]

Solar roadways officially promoted over element14 post: https://www.element14.com/community/community/applications/industrial-automation-space/blog/2016/11/11/the-latest-release-of-solar-road-s-panels-could-prove-promising-for-the-future-of-renewable-energy?CMP=SOM-FACEBOOK-PRG-BLOG-CATWELL-SOLARROADS-COMM-E14

WTF?
 

[tpowell1830]

I don't have the gift of working through all of the math, etc. like Dave and others, but the whole idea of solar panels on roadways is an expensive disaster at best from an economical point of view.  My question is: Why on the roadway? Why not beside the roadway or above the roadway? I like solar energy from photoelectric panels, but common sense should enter at some point.

The losses by placing on the roadway should be obvious to the most casual observer.  Roads get very dirty== LOSS, accidents happen with large metal objects on road ways which breaks  GLASS== LOSS, Vehicles are not transparent to sunlight == LOSS.

Placing the solar panels above or beside the roads where possible would make more sense, but the ROI is still too tiny to be feasible at this time.  I could see this as a way to power the lights on large roadways, but, as someone said in another reply, electricity from the power companies is cheaper and easier to use.

Spend the time and engineering on something that would be more feasible, such as hydrogen cells. I recall that there were some prototypes built and were producing electricity in a feasibilty study here in the states. What happened to these? 10 - 12 years ago there were pie-in-the-sky projections for solving energy issues. Where are they now? 

PEACE==>T

[Red Squirrel]

Has anyone actually done a working prototype of this, by working I mean that all the parts that are suppose to be in it actually perform.  Ex: the solar panels.  The current setup they have does not even work up to their basic specs lol.

I was thinking it would make a fun project to build a small prototype in small scale just to get a real world example of performance when all the components actually work.  What I'm thinking is a wood insulated box about 4 inches high, maybe 1 foot by 1 foot, with a removable glass top.  Inside right up against the glass would be a solar panel or cells, inside would be the charge controller, a battery, small heater, and a raspberry PI to oversee everything.  Maybe some LED strips going around the solar panel or something.

Goal would be to stick this outside on top of the snow. (these -30's would be a perfect time too in order to show real world situation and not ideal conditions)   The RPI would monitor the whole system, such as plot outside and inside temp, solar voltage, battery voltage and other potential data and basically see how it performs.  My guess: poorly.  But would be fun to do just for a proof of concept.

I don't really want to spend much money on something like this though, but I wonder how many people would be interested in this especially general public that still think the system might work.

As a side note how well do discharged gel cells do in -40?  Because this experiment would involve that.   

[EEVblog]

I don't have the gift of working through all of the math, etc. like Dave and others, but the whole idea of solar panels on roadways is an expensive disaster at best from an economical point of view.  My question is: Why on the roadway? Why not beside the roadway or above the roadway?

Because then:
a) It would not make the media
b) You would not be branded a genius for "inventing" the idea.
c) Politicians would not be celebrated for promoting "innovative" technology
d) You wouldn't get any money form the public crowd
e) You wouldn't get any money from government technology grants

Solar Roadways is a very clever way to extract money from the public and politicians, all while getting famous and lots of media coverage.

[Red Squirrel]

I don't have the gift of working through all of the math, etc. like Dave and others, but the whole idea of solar panels on roadways is an expensive disaster at best from an economical point of view.  My question is: Why on the roadway? Why not beside the roadway or above the roadway?

Because then:
a) It would not make the media
b) You would not be branded a genius for "inventing" the idea.
c) Politicians would not be celebrated for promoting "innovative" technology
d) You wouldn't get any money form the public crowd
e) You wouldn't get any money from government technology grants

Solar Roadways is a very clever way to extract money from the public and politicians, all while getting famous and lots of media coverage.

Sad but true, and that seems to be the trend with a lot of these "ideas".  Like the solar spin cone thingies.

People keep trying to "reinvent" solar but regular panels in optimal areas like roofs and fields is always going to be the better way.  Improvements on that may be valid though (tracking techniques, ways to make snow fall off automatically etc).

[Brumby]

What Dave has said.

"Interesting" sells when a new idea comes to town.  "Practical" only comes to the party when reality bites - usually in the hip pocket.

Some people don't pay attention to the warnings of others or signs on the wall.  They may even ignore the growling and barking of the beast itself and venture forth.  You will then find the optimists that have felt the fangs sink into their very being, but shrug this off as teething problems or growing pains,  Then there are those that will exsanguinate, still holding on to the belief that the whole concept was sabotaged by big business.

.... but you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be someone ready to capitalise on every step of the saga.

[f4eru]

Hello,

Just in time for Christmas, Colas get up their demonstrator !
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/12/21/en-normandie-une-route-solaire-au-banc-d-essai_5052352_3244.html

One lane on one kilometer of real road. The minister inaugurated it.

They speak about 17Euro/Wp in this demonstrator phase compared to 1,3Euro/Wp for ground based solar.
Maintenance and lifetime unknown.

The top encapsulant is not glass but "resin" (epoxy?), which will probably not last very long, let's see.

Now the fun begins

Now let the subventions hit the fan !!

I live far away unfortunately, else I would have a look and a drive on it

[tszaboo]

Hello,

Just in time for Christmas, Colas get up their demonstrator !
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/12/21/en-normandie-une-route-solaire-au-banc-d-essai_5052352_3244.html

One lane on one kilometer of real road. The minister inaugurated it.

They speak about 17Euro/Wp in this demonstrator phase compared to 1,3Euro/Wp for ground based solar.
Maintenance and lifetime unknown.

The top encapsulant is not glass but "resin" (epoxy?), which will probably not last very long, let's see.

Now the fun begins

Now let the subventions hit the fan !!

I live far away unfortunately, else I would have a look and a drive on it

People making these roads from public money should be criminalized and put in prison for fraud.
They even said, they need to convert 1 million km of road to solar, and then the country would be totally solar powered. Anyone wondering, that is only 5 000 000 000 000 EUR, or the total government budget for 4 years. At least if they do it, they will be the first country to go bankrupt because of electricity generation.

[PlainName]

they need to convert 1 million km of road to solar, and then the country would be totally solar powered. Anyone wondering, that is only 5 000 000 000 000 EUR, or the total government budget for 4 years.

No-one in their right mind would think this means they will rip up 1mKm of road and lay solar panels as one job. The obvious way to do it is to fit the panels as roads would normally be repaired, so a) it's an ongoing job over a long time, and b) costs not so much since you're saving on not paying to fix the old road anyway.

[LabSpokane]

https://twitter.com/solarroadways/status/811624936305364992

Why is there no longer a video feed?  Because the generation 3.1 panels are being installed right outside Solar Roadways' front door  ... which faces North incidentally.