Solar roadways

[Impenitent]

I never know where to put my stuff, but this pushes so many positive buttons for me that I thought I'd take the plunge and start a thread.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways#home

The project promises so much!

A modular paving system of solar panels that can withstand great weights and can be installed on roads, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, bike paths, playgrounds, etc.

They will generate electricity, which can power homes and businesses connected via driveways and parking lots; heating elements to stay snow/ice free, LEDs to make road lines and signage, and attached Cable Corridor to store and treat stormwater and provide a "home" for power and data cables. EVs will be able to charge with energy from the sun (instead of fossil fuels) from parking lots and driveways and after a roadway system is in place, mutual induction technology will allow for charging while driving.

It's the coolest innovation I've seen in a long time, and this is only its first iteration - I suspect eager minds will create other uses.

[Passdagas the Brown]

This is great, though the outdoor heating elements would consume so much energy that it wouldn't be practical for where we are with PVs right now. But I love this stuff.

[Frelga]

That would be cool.
I was just reading about Teslas today, and of course if they can be charged off solar, that would be awesome. I can't afford a Tesla, but I've been thinking about electric since my employer installed free charging stations in the parking lot.

[River]

after a roadway system is in place, mutual induction technology will allow for charging while driving.

Damn.

Think of that. Your car will never stop for lack of energy.

My main concern is how dirt will affect the performance. Roads are filthy.

[Inanna]

This is awesome. Awesome.

[yovargas]

Wow, the possibilities there seem astounding......you'll forgive me if I wonder if it's too good to be true. The obvious question which they don't address in their video is - money! That and materials. How much would it cost to do on a large scale? What kind of materials do you need? Are those materials readily available in such mass quantities? Ect ect!

If this, or something like this, ends up being the future then WOW, how kewl! I'll also give extra-thumbs up because it would make the future look more futuristic!

[Griffon64]

That would be cool.
I was just reading about Teslas today, and of course if they can be charged off solar, that would be awesome. I can't afford a Tesla, but I've been thinking about electric since my employer installed free charging stations in the parking lot.

Did you happen to read that on theoatmeal? 'cause that's where I read about them yesterday and now I really wish I had / could afford one! They can go 0-60 almost twice as fast as my sedate V4 Camry does. That's quite impressive, considering that many people think of slow as treacle vehicles when they think electric.

My main concern is how dirt will affect the performance. Roads are filthy.

Yeah, I wondered about dirt, too. They partially address the question in the FAQ: http://solarroadways.com/faq.shtml#faqClean

This kind of technology is the stuff that gets me excited, too.

[yovargas]

Reading through that FAQ...man, this sounds really serious! They've really put a ton of thought into the many possible problems. This is clearly not a hippie-green pipe-dream to them but something they really intend to make a reality!

[Dave_LF]

I'm pretty skeptical that a solar road could contribute more than a little bit of the energy required by vehicles driving across it, especially if it's trying to light signs and melt snow at the same time, but any input is better than none.

How would they bill you?

[axordil]

PV roads would be best suited for induction charging in rural areas, which coincidentally, are also where any kind of refueling is harder.

Parking lots made with these would also be great. So many retail lots are only half-full 90% of the time, since they're designed for peak holiday volume.

[Impenitent]

I've been following this project for some little while, and they've had government grants for early development and are about to produce a prototype parking lot. And, they're asking for investors in their start up. If I had any spare cash, I'd be investing in this - such a brilliant, brilliant idea!

[yovargas]

Is there anything preventing a bigger company with more money from seeing this and stealing their idea? Can you patent "solar panels on a road"?

[axordil]

You can patent the design features and the particular combination of ways they're put together. Basic construction techniques, like the hexagonal shape, probably not--and of course you can't patent a broad idea, or you shouldn't be able to anyway. That doesn't keep patent trolls and some corporations from trying.

[Dave_LF]

Is there anything preventing a bigger company with more money from seeing this and stealing their idea? Can you patent "solar panels on a road"?

Forgive my cynicism, but "a bigger company with more money" is not going to bother with something like this. At least not until someone proves they can make money off it.

[yovargas]

I dunno...if they can get it doing everything they want it to do, it seems like a product cities world-wide would be begging them for. Even if it ends up just being used for parking lots, the potential consumer base here is gigantic if you can get the market cornered. If investors only looked at guarantees and not possibilities, I'm sure a whole lotta things would never have gotten done!

[River]

Big companies don't really do their own R&D for wild-ass ideas, though. Rather, they buy start-ups.

[yovargas]

Google, at least, doesn't seem to have a problem with it.


(Some day, I'd like to be the head of a big company called Wild-Ass Ideas.....)