06-09-2013, 08:01 AM
quote:
Originally posted by terracore
quote:
Originally posted by Kapohocat
Speaking of solar, wouldnt this throw Helco for a loop?
http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml
-Cat
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.
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.