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Solar Roadways...This is INCREDIBLE...

dhartmann34

dhartmann34

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Okay, so this is incredible. Anyone else see this video on some amazing solar technology that has been in the works? It's like a solution for so many things...I really don't know how feasible it is, but it'd be truly mind blowing if it could happen. I guess they have already completed some sections for the government.

Check out the video!!

http://elitedaily.com/news/technolo...oadways-worth-funding-video-will-help/604220/
 
I have seen stories like that a few times very cool if it works
 
Thanks for the link. My dad is a civil engineer, I just forwarded him the website. Interested to see what he thinks.

There are a lot of things that go into building roads, besides the visual asphalt. It is an interesting idea and I always have thought about the transfer of energy from cars to roads and how to harness it.

On a side note, the video spoke about heating the system in winter to prevent freezing. This guy must have not spent a lot of time up north during winter, way too much snow to keep it from accumulating.
 
I think it would be a good thing to test out in some large parking lots, etc. My gut tells me there are some practical reasons why it may not be feasible for highways in its current form. Being able to withstand a truck is a lot different than being able to withstand thousands of trucks per day driving over it. Still, it's an incredible idea that I hope evolves and moves forward.
 
They were trying to raise $1 million to get going and they're at almost $2 so that's great. But I guess they just completed some sections for testing and whatnot. The video is very 'encouraging' and got me excited...but I suppose that's what it's supposed to do.
 
Yeah, the snow factor stuck out to me as well.

troyefl said:
Thanks for the link. My dad is a civil engineer, I just forwarded him the website. Interested to see what he thinks.

There are a lot of things that go into building roads, besides the visual asphalt. It is an interesting idea and I always have thought about the transfer of energy from cars to roads and how to harness it.

On a side note, the video spoke about heating the system in winter to prevent freezing. This guy must have not spent a lot of time up north during winter, way too much snow to keep it from accumulating.
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Saw this a while back pretty cool.

Other companies are developing solar windows.
 
I like the idea, though I'd be concerned with extremely heavy loads it would have to take on an interstate. I'm SURE they have and do testing for weight per square inch on a single panel, but still. If they can do this, and make it work, that would be sweet. I'm sure the government would have a massive tax on it soon enough, so that the states that allow them to be installed can't rake ALL of the profits.
Very good idea though. Count me in for putting this in my driveway if it's at all possible for the normal person to afford. I'd love to have NO cost for heating and cooling my house, plus not having to shovel my driveway, too.
 
Solar Roadways...This is INCREDIBLE...

I saw this last week and loved it. Now, go check out Thorium reactors and get even more excited. If I remember correctly a car could potentially run 100 years on 8 grams.
 
Agent Jay said:
I like the idea, though I'd be concerned with extremely heavy loads it would have to take on an interstate. I'm SURE they have and do testing for weight per square inch on a single panel, but still. If they can do this, and make it work, that would be sweet. I'm sure the government would have a massive tax on it soon enough, so that the states that allow them to be installed can't rake ALL of the profits.
Very good idea though. Count me in for putting this in my driveway if it's at all possible for the normal person to afford. I'd love to have NO cost for heating and cooling my house, plus not having to shovel my driveway, too.
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No only repeated pressure, but the weight is significantly greater say if your going 75 on the interstate and hit a bump and now your trailer is pulsing up and down.

I would worry about expansion and contraction in the extreme Temps roads see.
 
Rhyno said:
No only repeated pressure, but the weight is significantly greater say if your going 75 on the interstate and hit a bump and now your trailer is pulsing up and down.

I would worry about expansion and contraction in the extreme Temps roads see.
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That's a good point! I was thinking about the gridlock they see in major cities where you have bumper to bumper traffic and sometimes they come to a full stop. You could have a thousands of pound vehicle(s) stopped on one spot for an extended length of time.

From the mini-computer!
 
Technology is so freaking cool.

Wish I was smarter...
 
The part I don't understand is why they need to raise money like this instead of through traditional means of acquiring capital. It makes me wonder if this is much more in the realm of cool idea rather than something with an actual business plan/model. It seems like such an obviously great idea...just don't get why that wouldn't translate into big money backers buying into it.
 
I just thought of something, hopefully they've thought about theft, I bet there's some valuable materials in those things.
 
tequila4kapp said:
The part I don't understand is why they need to raise money like this instead of through traditional means of acquiring capital. It makes me wonder if this is much more in the realm of cool idea rather than something with an actual business plan/model. It seems like such an obviously great idea...just don't get why that wouldn't translate into big money backers buying into it.
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My guess is startup. it would take quite a bit of start up to do a small portion of road, and there are still many questions to be asked.

Second is depending on where they are, you can't just generate electricity and sell it to power companies. That's why in Nebraska we are just now starting to get into wind production, power companies refused to buy electricity from people.
 
As far as snow goes, they are up in Idaho about 90 miles south of the Canadian border, so their prototype has seen plenty of snow. Heated panels could also help during rain events, as the surface could dry faster. It seems like they have been doing lots of tests at civil engineering research universities to test load carrying capabilities, and it sounds like they have been doing very well in that regard.

I'm also willing to bet that these panels don't have as much thermal expansion and contraction as traditional road materials, and with the modular nature of the panels, you pretty much have an expansion/contraction joint between every single panel, which would make it much more resilient to temperature related expansion and contraction.

A lot of the other questions are addressed in their FAQ's on their website. I just spent a bunch of time reading about it, and if they can produce these on a large scale, it could be revolutionary.
 
I think the technology is fantastic and definitely would be sweet to see put into service. I just have the same questions as most of you guys. How durable, how will it stand up to repeated abuse from heavy trucks, how will it stand up to high heat?

The other thing I question is the wiring on the side of the roadway. How easy is it for someone to get in there and tamper with? How sheltered would it be from wild life?
 
tequila4kapp said:
The part I don't understand is why they need to raise money like this instead of through traditional means of acquiring capital. It makes me wonder if this is much more in the realm of cool idea rather than something with an actual business plan/model. It seems like such an obviously great idea...just don't get why that wouldn't translate into big money backers buying into it.
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Crowdsourcing gives them ability to maintain more equity. Normally, you would have to give up a percentage or leave collateral for traditional funding.
 
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