Solar FREAKIN' Roadways!

Comment

Comment by Morell Sunweaver on June 28, 2014 at 1:10am

When panels are placed on the fields, the grass and all plants including trees can overgrow them in time. so herbicids are being used to prevent that.

Comment by Tara on June 28, 2014 at 12:49am

What poisonous material does solar use Morell?

Comment by Tara on June 28, 2014 at 12:46am

Some modifications can be made;it does not have to be every road, could be roadsides could still improve to be ideally sustainable. I applaud that someone thought of this idea to use the roads. More solutions, that's what we need to break out of the stagnation

Comment by Arbellason Marucha on June 26, 2014 at 7:18pm

Somewhere in the world land would have to be destroyed for materials to do this yes recycled materials can be used but where electronics are involved so are rare minerals that would have to be extracted these materials are extremely scarce as it is hence the cost of electronics. And as it has been proven before electronics no matter how well they are made they all fail in the end. A real move forward would be to remove the need for rare and man-made materials in everything we use.

Comment by Morell Sunweaver on June 26, 2014 at 10:27am

C'mon, of course it is possible, but problem is in money. System works on cirkulating money, not quality of products. Why do yout hing, there are scientific studies to make products crash right after their warrancy expires? Because no sellings, no profit. That is real problem. Once this os out of game, we can make products, that can work for fifty sears for sure. Can you imagine how it could be good for earth?

And that is the problem. There would be so less work left. People don't know, how to deal with that fact. they are used to pay only for active work.

There is long way to go yet.

Comment by Tara on June 26, 2014 at 9:57am

Somehow we should be able to create things that return to the earth. Have you heard of Cradle to Cradle designs ideas? (google cradle to cradle), what do you think

Comment by Arethinn aTinderel on June 25, 2014 at 7:04pm

Destroy "more" land? I don't follow. The idea is that this would go over existing roads.

However, see these other links about why it might not be workable:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/183130-solar-roadways-passes-1-4... (I think that headline is unkind, though - of course they weren't going for the amount of money it would take to totally fund such a conversion)

http://jalopnik.com/why-the-solar-roadway-is-a-terrible-idea-158251...

Comment by Arbellason Marucha on June 25, 2014 at 3:32pm

So in other words another reason for them to destroy more land and use more materials that cause more harm than good. Yes it is a step forward in a sense but not a very large step we are still too reliant on today's technology.

Comment by Arethinn aTinderel on June 25, 2014 at 1:15pm

The link got cut off: should be https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways. (See also their own website, http://solarroadways.com/) They raised $2.2 million, looks like.

I heard accusations that it was a scam because apparently no one could find evidence of their claim that "Solar Roadways has received two phases of funding from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration for research and development of a paving system that will pay for itself over its lifespan. We are about to wrap up our Phase II contract (to build a prototype parking lot) and now need to raise funding for production" (hence the Indiegogo, I guess).

I really hope that's not the case and that this sort of thing turns out to be actually workable.

Comment by Morell Sunweaver on June 24, 2014 at 11:27pm

Nice idea, but who will pay for it? Solar panels just rised prices of electricity in our country, not to mention poisnons placed in ground, where they are... in places where the food grows. There your politics bought the place for them.