Author Topic: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!  (Read 7433 times)

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Offline 2N3055

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Re: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!
« Reply #25 on: January 06, 2021, 10:38:18 am »
Solar roadways is a tremendously stupid idea. There is no need to prove anything from first principle to see that.
There is no need to prove electronics side at all.
All you need is talk to people that are involved into road building (traffic and civil engineers and such) for them to tell you how that business is done.

I have a good friend that does road signage, and in road related projects, even very sophisticated electronics cost is dwarfed by cost of building road and all related building cost. And that is concrete and asphalt. Making road from something that adds cost to it is unacceptable.

Also, big problem with roads is maintenance. Replacing glass tiles all the time kills duty cycle of road in question. Also big no.

In most urban areas there is a problem with free parking spaces. A solar parking that is fully covered with cars has 0 energy from sun.  For parkings, a roof with solar panels is a good solution, because it gives cover and collects sun. Win-Win. In Alps, there are many sound walls (road going through residential areas), animal wals, and snow guard overhangs.. All good for solar installations..

Nobody tested how it fares when snow plow runs over it going 40 km/h, or when heavy vehicles from an army run over it, or heavy machinery, or whatever. Or thousands of heavy trucks that shred roads like paper..

Also panels get dirty, when dirt, snow and salt are on them they don't work, they had to put in abrasive layer on top so you don't drive on polished glass. That abrasive layer collects dirt, also tire marks are sticky and pitch black. After some time, glas is completely obstructed. So how are they going to clean that.  With chemicals ? What about ecology...

What happens when cargo falls of the trucks? What about salt and crushed stone for winter that is being dispensed on the road?
What happens when you go over the stone, that suddenly transfers all energy of moving car to tiny area on the edge of the stone?  What happens when there is an accident?  Cars rolling over, sharp steel edges wedging at the edge of the tile, plowing through them like dirt.. Now it leaves a mark in the surface.. With glass all this would need expensive repairs.

And on top of that, panels have less power per sq.meter (datasheets say so) and they are at wrong angle. That alone makes that installation not efficient. And also, even if the panels wouldn't be damaged all the time (which they would), they would need to be ALL replaced after 10-15 years, because solar panels degrade by design.

So yeah, great idea. For people taking money from idiots, with built in job security....
 

Offline M0HZH

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Re: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!
« Reply #26 on: January 06, 2021, 11:30:45 am »
My background is in Power Engineering, I've worked on solar projects and I also worked for a company that does road building & maintenance. It is my professional opinion that solar roadways are dumb.

However.

From any seemingly complicated and practically pointless technical endeavour there are useful byproducts, secondary inventions or developments that come out of the research. The space race gave us advanced photovoltaic technology, home insulation, cameras so tiny they could fit in a mobile phone and a stupid pen that writes in zero gravity. Group B rally racing throughout the 1980's is the reason we have 4WD, turbo-charging, ABS or multi-clutch gearboxes on our cars today.

This is technology, spending millions on it will actually bring some benefit at some point. Unlike paying football players, the money is not entirely wasted.
 

Online Brumby

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Re: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!
« Reply #27 on: January 06, 2021, 12:03:39 pm »
Big companies are pouring serious money in solar roadways; these people aren't stupid.

Quote of the year!
 

Offline Jan Audio

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Re: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!
« Reply #28 on: January 06, 2021, 03:46:56 pm »
The best thing you can do is to call them on the phone before its to late.
Might have less amusement, less laughing, so maybe better dont call them, its your tax money amerikans.
 

Online SiliconWizard

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Re: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!
« Reply #29 on: January 06, 2021, 04:00:59 pm »
Honestly, these videos are not really entertaining for me, personally. Too long on a topic that has been discussed over and over again. Just my 2 cents.

I don't think they are meant to be "entertaining", but I could be wrong. That would probably be too much if all Dave was doing was videos about this, but this isn't the case. The merit I see is that he patiently *explains* why such and such project doesn't make sense, he doesn't just bluntly claim it doesn't. Surely for people already knowing this, you can just skip watching. But maybe, and I guess it's Dave's intention, some people who watch those videos actually didn't realize the concept was flawed from the start, and will have learned something.
I see it differently; very few -even the ones with engineering degrees- seem to recognize the flaws in Dave's reasoning. That is what worries me most. Nowadays it is all 'I've seen it on Youtube so it must be true'.

Woah, hang on. Are you claiming I'm wrong about Solar Roadways?  :-//
Depending on which solar roadway company:
Solar Frickin Roadways: probably not
Solmove (German): probably not
Colas / Wattway (French): maybe
Solar roadways (Dutch): maybe

IMHO the first two just lack the engineering skills and funds to turn new technology into a product.

However in general you have not convinced me that solar roadways are financially not viable. I'm not falling for the 'it's all a scam to scoop up government money'; that is pure conspiracy theorism which is just BS. Big companies are pouring serious money in solar roadways; these people aren't stupid. Another failure from your side is comparing the cost of experimental technology versus commercially available technology. Added to that your view is very single sided. Personally I'd rather see a more balanced / neutral report with both sides of the story. IOW: Where you allow the companies in question to comment on your findings and include these comments in your videos. That is journalism.

For example: It seems Solar Frickin Roadways has scored some government contracts. Instead of labelling that as 'see how stupid governments are' (which to me is just another populistic and unfounded BS claim) it would have been much more interesting to figure out what these contracts actually are about. In case they are 'show and tell sessions' (which I think is the case) there should be some reports on what was the result of the tests performed. Likely there is some very interesting and (f)actual information in these reports. Based on that you can ask tough questions instead of being regarded as just another noisy nay-sayer by the solar roadway companies.

You have not answered the question IMHO. You're still making claims without backing them up with any fact or figures.
"maybe, probably not, I'm not falling for, these people aren't stupid". Is that the core of your argumentation?
 

Offline Clear as mud

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Re: EEVblog #1363 - Solar FREAKIN' Roadways Gets NEW FUNDING!
« Reply #30 on: January 17, 2021, 12:34:41 pm »
spending millions on it will actually bring some benefit at some point.  Unlike paying football players, the money is not entirely wasted.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were some medical and other scientific advances that came from spending millions on professional sports.
 


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