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As if Solar fricken roadways wasn't bad enough, check out this "Great new idea"
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Ice-Tea:

--- Quote from: IDEngineer on May 18, 2020, 07:11:03 pm ---As folks propose ever-more solar panels, I wonder if there are any environmental impacts of blocking solar radiation from Earth's surface?

--- End quote ---

Plenty of information about that.

https://landartgenerator.org/blagi/archives/127


--- Quote ---According to the United Nations 170,000 square kilometers of forest is destroyed each year. If we constructed solar farms at the same rate, we would be finished in 3 years.
--- End quote ---

So, compared with anything else: peanuts.
IDEngineer:
I didn't see anything addressing the environmental impact of preventing the solar radiation from continuing to reach the Earth's surface. That was my question, the impact of *changing* how the sun reaches the surface. Just as how we are changing wind patterns with miles of turbine arrays.
Gregg:
On the surface (all puns intended >:D) installing solar panels on railway ties seems like a better idea than solar roadways or even solar pedestrian / bicycle ways; until looking at the practical details.
Better than a bad idea, doesn’t make it a good idea; but that’s never stopped the gullible.  :-DD

Railroads are generally very protective of their infrastructure and would require substantial income to even consider this type of interference to their core operation.  I doubt that any corporate owned railway would allow another company to install and connect these panels as they certainly would interfere with ongoing tie and rail replacement not to mention possible weakening of the rail bed structure to run conduit and wire from between the rails to main conduits parallel to the tracks. 

Other concerns are vandalism, vibration, maintenance costs and issues with animal rights groups claiming these interfere with wild animals crossing the tracks.
BreakingOhmsLaw:
In Germany you say?    8)

Well, my friends, let me introduce you to a little german thing called a "Gleisschotterbettungsreinigungsmaschine".

Yes, that's an actual german word.
And,yes, that's actually a thing:


It picks up the entire rail, scoops up the gravel bed, cleans the gravel, places it back and puts down the rails again.
Ziz is ze german way, ja?




jeroen79:
Why are they installing narrow solar panels only on the ties?
Wouldn't it be simpler to place longer panels spanning several ties?

--- Quote from: BreakingOhmsLaw on May 18, 2020, 10:43:28 pm ---Yes, that's an actual german word.
--- End quote ---
So is "Gleisschotterbettungsreinigungsmaschineführer".
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