Electronics > Power/Renewable Energy/EV's

Solar roadways - but next level

(1/4) > >>

Zeitkind:
So, finally someone seems to get it right?  :o Well, guess not. In Germany parts of the Autobahn will be covered by solar panels - but on a steel roof. They want to start testing with a 10m x 17m roof about 5,5m high above the road.

https://www.heise.de/news/Solardaecher-ueber-Autobahnen-Deutsches-Pilotprojekt-beginnt-demnaechst-7273829.html

But because of the cost of such a roof construction, a wider coverage of the Autobahn is "not expected to happen". Oh, really? A 5,5m high construction made of steel.. *sigh* |O Can someone calculate the amount of steel that is needed to get some GWh?

coppice:

--- Quote from: Zeitkind on September 23, 2022, 11:25:04 am ---So, finally someone seems to get it right?  :o Well, guess not. In Germany parts of the Autobahn will be covered by solar panels - but on a steel roof. They want to start testing with a 10m x 17m roof about 5,5m high above the road.

https://www.heise.de/news/Solardaecher-ueber-Autobahnen-Deutsches-Pilotprojekt-beginnt-demnaechst-7273829.html

But because of the cost of such a roof construction, a wider coverage of the Autobahn is "not expected to happen". Oh, really? A 5,5m high construction made of steel.. *sigh* |O Can someone calculate the amount of steel that is needed to get some GWh?

--- End quote ---
Around Munich a lot of the Autobahn verges are covered in solar panels. I wondered if that cuts maintenance costs, by suppressing weed growth, or increases it, by making weed control more awkward.

Ranayna:
Nothing in the article says that it is a steel roof, where the panels are put on top of. It just says "steel construction".
I suspect it will be steel pillars, with a steel grid, to which the panels are mounted. But maybe a protective sheet underneath is required to prevent damage to the panels from below by grit or stuff like that.

Considering the quickly rising costs of land, a setup like that does not sound unreasonable. But this particular project has many other issues.

First: It will not actually cover the main Autobahn, but a side road. Bad, because thats not a reasonable test.
Second: They want to look at the system "scientifically" for a year. Why? It's a damn solar system. They have existed for many years now. They should already know now how much it will produce.
Third: They don't even know yet if they want to even connect this to the grid.  :palm:

coppice:

--- Quote from: Ranayna on September 23, 2022, 01:34:13 pm ---Second: They want to look at the system "scientifically" for a year. Why? It's a damn solar system. They have existed for many years now. They should already know now how much it will produce.

--- End quote ---
The basic panel performance is known, but there always important factors to assess. Maintenance, especially cleaning needs and costs, isn't easy to assess without a real world trial.

Ranayna:

--- Quote from: coppice on September 23, 2022, 02:44:14 pm ---The basic panel performance is known, but there always important factors to assess. Maintenance, especially cleaning needs and costs, isn't easy to assess without a real world trial.


--- End quote ---
True. But then they should place it over the main area of the Autobahn, and not on a side road. Very likely the vehicles there will be significantly slower, and there will be less traffic overall.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page