Solar Electric

[Wuzzerdad]

http://www.sunwize.com/index.cfm

Just wanted some input, I know there are many qualified companies in Hawaii. Very good companies with great people.

I have been doing solar installations as a hobby for more than 10 years.

This link is to my wholesale company. If you need anything let me know. It will be much less with shipping than you can get locally.

[]


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick

[Kapohocat]

Speaking of solar, wouldnt this throw Helco for a loop?

http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml


But wuzzerdad, if you can contact me, we are going to put in solar about October, so right now I am collecting info. You can email me at catandrobertemery@gmail.com

-Cat

[terracore]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kapohocat

Speaking of solar, wouldnt this throw Helco for a loop?

http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml


-Cat

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Just read their Phase II "parking lot" prototype. Maybe I just don't "get it"? Why would you build the parking lot out of solar panels? During the day the cars would be shading all the collectors and then when everybody goes home at night the cells will be free to gather what... moon beams? Wouldn't it make more sense to build a roof made out of solar panels over a regular parking lot? And the cars won't be blocking the sun? And you wouldn't have to waste the resources engineering the cells to withstand the weight of the vehicles.

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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Originally posted by terracore

quote:

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Originally posted by Kapohocat

Speaking of solar, wouldnt this throw Helco for a loop?

http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml


-Cat

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Just read their Phase II "parking lot" prototype. Maybe I just don't "get it"? Why would you build the parking lot out of solar panels? During the day the cars would be shading all the collectors and then when everybody goes home at night the cells will be free to gather what... moon beams? Wouldn't it make more sense to build a roof made out of solar panels over a regular parking lot? And the cars won't be blocking the sun? And you wouldn't have to waste the resources engineering the cells to withstand the weight of the vehicles.

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My guess in just reading the intro and info is that the parking lot is a test - I think it is their parking lot, not a big mall lot, and also a parking lot would make a good test area. It may slightly mimic a road with rush hour traffic and cars "parked" essentially in traffic.

In translating it to something i personally would do with it - I had emailed them about cost etc - and just abstractly thinking of my driveway - instead of solar panels on the roof, and putting down concrete for the driveway. Was just an interesting idea that these people have. Some of the ideas like the heat from the panels keeping roads clear of snow is interesting.

We are either going to stay where we are techonology-wise or begin to entertain interesting albiet pretty much untested ideas like this one, and many others come down the (non-oil) pipeline.

Roadways havent had much change in many years or more. Same materials - same problems. The only thing to have changed much is the machinery to deliver the application.

What if this road solar panel could solve two problems at once? Kinda interesting, but we'll see how it fares in the test stages.

[Wuzzerdad]

The solar panels on my roof are about 4" above the shingles. The real benefit besides the energy produced is the shingles under the panels stay cool, helping cool our house.

I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick

[MarkP]

As a road surface these panels would bring some problems. One advantage of asphalt over concrete is that it is slightly flexible. Concrete roads must be made in sections with control joints in between that effectively exclude debris, so that as they expand in the sun there is some give, otherwise they buckle. These rigid panels will have the same problem.

As for melting snow, these panels won;t get any hotter than regular asphalt unless they are heated. If heated, I don't know how that can be swung and not be wasteful of energy.

[Wuzzerdad]

Solar roads make sense in Hawaii where there is no freeze thaw cycle.



I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick

[terracore]

quote:

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Originally posted by Wuzzerdad

Solar roads make sense in Hawaii where there is no freeze thaw cycle.

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A solar road would need constant scrubbing to keep the rubber, dirt, oil, etc off of it for the cells to be a peak efficiency. Not to mention all the extra engineering to not get crushed by vehicle traffic, permanent scratching, skid marks, etc. It would be far more efficient to let roads be roads and let solar panels be solar panels. It's not a bad idea, but probably 100 years ahead of it's time.

[MarkP]

If solar panels were THAT strong and cheap I would simply build my entire roof out of them. Walmart, KTA, etc would all put in covered parking. I think this would all become economically viable before the roads would.

[Wuzzerdad]

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkP

If solar panels were THAT strong and cheap I would simply build my entire roof out of them. Walmart, KTA, etc would all put in covered parking. I think this would all become economically viable before the roads would.

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Solar panels are tough, we walk and lay on them when we install them, a few have been dropped with no adverse problems. The only one I ever saw broken was when a customer decieded to drill a hole in one. [] What a dumbrass! It shattered into thousands of pieces like tempered glass does when it breaks. [:p]

I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick