Solar Roadways have caught a lot of attention recently, but I agree with the criticism of them: replacing critical infrastructure with non-future proofed (and rapidly advancing) technology seems both expensive and short sighted
Solar roadways that could give a charge to EVs would be interesting - charge as you drive. And solar+impact roadways with built in impact plates that can take the weight of a car passing over it and convert it into electrical energy.
All sorts of stuff could be done, it's just down to money, but they may have to be rather clever how they plan to re-do the powergrid in North America which is full of issues; age, capacity, etc.
Three things I can see as potential problems with solar roadways:
1.) Before I retired, I was involved in road construction. There were times when the contractors I worked for applied for and received overweight permits from the New York State Department of Transportation. These were temporary permits that allowed our trucks to operate with a Gross Vehicle Weight rating of 120,000 lbs. during specific phases of a road construction project. I wonder how well an interlocked series of glass panels could stand up to that, even for a brief period of time.
2.) Looking at the texture of these panels, I would not want to transition from normal pavement onto these on a motorcycle doing 60-70 m.p.h., the resulting speed wobble could very well prove fatal. Have you ever ridden a motorcyle across a steel deck bridge? Scary, even at low speeds.
3.) Floods. No matter how well you think you have engineered and tested the way these panels are interconnected, or how they are connected to the power grid, water will eventually get in. Look at the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, or any other hurricane for that matter, could you imagine replacing all the roads that were submerged?
Solar Roadways have caught a lot of attention recently, but I agree with the criticism of them: replacing critical infrastructure with non-future proofed (and rapidly advancing) technology seems both expensive and short sighted
I agree with you I also think they will have to work parallel with the power grid not just switch from one to the other overnight.
Solar roadways that could give a charge to EVs would be interesting - charge as you drive
Three things I can see as potential problems with solar roadways:
1.) Before I retired, I was involved in road construction. There were times when the contractors I worked for applied for and received overweight permits from the New York State Department of Transportation. These were temporary permits that allowed our trucks to operate with a Gross Vehicle Weight rating of 120,000 lbs. during specific phases of a road construction project. I wonder how well an interlocked series of glass panels could stand up to that, even for a brief period of time.
2.) Looking at the texture of these panels, I would not want to transition from normal pavement onto these on a motorcycle doing 60-70 m.p.h., the resulting speed wobble could very well prove fatal. Have you ever ridden a motorcyle across a steel deck bridge? Scary, even at low speeds.
3.) Floods. No matter how well you think you have engineered and tested the way these panels are interconnected, or how they are connected to the power grid, water will eventually get in. Look at the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, or any other hurricane for that matter, could you imagine replacing all the roads that were submerged?
All your points are valid, but as the tech get refined I am sure your first 2 points will be worked out. But point 3, water, if it wants to get in it will get in. This point I think will be the hardest to work out.
We've had solar powered calculators for what almost 30 years now, so I don't see why more gadgets can't have them to power them even if only as a supplement to the battery and to trickle charge the battery. Especially when thinking of powering cars some solar cells could be beneficial such as powering a fan to exhaust hot air out of a parked car and to bring in fresh cooler air so you don't have to blast the air conditioner the first few minutes on very hot days.
We've had solar powered calculators for what almost 30 years now, so I don't see why more gadgets can't have them to power them even if only as a supplement to the battery and to trickle charge the battery. Especially when thinking of powering cars some solar cells could be beneficial such as powering a fan to exhaust hot air out of a parked car and to bring in fresh cooler air so you don't have to blast the air conditioner the first few minutes on very hot days.
I don't know about your car, but mine spits out literal fire for the first few minutes until the AC kicks into gear
I imagine more gadgets don't include solar powering because heat is a major issue in devices like phones and such. A solar powered battery pack would be pretty cool though, and I do think they make them (unsure of the efficacy)
I don't know about your car, but mine spits out literal fire for the first few minutes until the AC kicks into gear
When I get into my car I always grab the A-pillar when getting in, and on one very hot day the inside was hot enough for my thumb to deform the plastic on the A-pillar.
Well we get crazy cold here, and then it's like jungle hot with the unpleasant humidity like 90%-100% during the spring and summer months. I really can't take the high humidity.