• Small french village continues 2016 by constructing a solar roadway
    74 replies, posted
[url]https://electrek.co/2016/12/22/small-french-village-opens-worlds-first-solar-panel-road/[/url] [QUOTE]A new report today from the guardian shared news of the first solar panel road opening in the Normandy village of Tourouvre-au-Perche. The French ecology minister, Ségolène Royal introduced the new 1 km (0.6 mile) long solar road installation that consists of 2,800 sq m (30,139 sq ft) of energy producing panels. The €5 million ($5.2 million) public funded project was completed by the construction firm Colas Group, and is expected to see about 2,000 drivers each day. The solar installation is a short-term commitment as the first two years are being considered a test. The results of how well the panels power the villages street lighting will determine the roads future viability. Ecology Minister “Royal has said she would like to see solar panels installed on one in every 1,000km of French highway – France has a total of a million km of roads.” However, critics have concerns about cost-effectiveness and whether solar roadways are the best approach to using renewable energy.[/QUOTE] 2016 strikes again
Fucking genius... [thumb]https://electrek.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/solar-road.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&strip=all&w=2000&h=0[/thumb] "Where should we put them? How about the one place where cars are constantly driving over? Great idea!"
I assume the bureaucrats didn't give this to any serious engineers to look over before approving it?
Solar roadways are great because it's extremely satisfying to watch something be so easily and undeniably debunked. [video=youtube;3pIfo1Dynjg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pIfo1Dynjg[/video] Even their own test installation provides no power, is half broken, and the LEDs can't be seen during the day. It debunks itself!
Ok so this isn't the solar roadways we all know and love, this is just regular ass solar panels embedded in a road surface. None of those extra stupid features, such as lights & hexagonal bricks.
[QUOTE=paul simon;51572630]Ok so this isn't the solar roadways we all know and love, this is just regular ass solar panels embedded in a road surface. None of those extra stupid features, such as lights & hexagonal bricks.[/QUOTE] Any kind of solar road is a bad idea and a terrible implementation of solar panels.
What a waste could have put those on roofs
[QUOTE=meek;51572652]Any kind of solar road is a bad idea and a terrible implementation of solar panels.[/QUOTE] I can easily see them not lasting very long.
Good, this way it can definitively be proven this idea is shit. hahaha who am i kidding, people will keep deluding themselves and preform mental gymnastics like if their life depends on it.
[QUOTE=Sherow_Xx;51572571]Fucking genius... [thumb]https://electrek.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/solar-road.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&strip=all&w=2000&h=0[/thumb] "Where should we put them? How about the one place where cars are constantly driving over? Great idea!"[/QUOTE] So people can see it and think their government is "green" and reelect the incumbents.
Those things certainly look cheaper to maintain than the dumb hex blocks, I think solar roads might have a place in rural areas with seldom driven roads.
[QUOTE=Chamango;51572688]Those things certainly look cheaper to maintain than the dumb hex blocks, I think solar roads might have a place in rural areas with seldom driven roads.[/QUOTE] So wouldn't it just make more sense to have tracking solar arrays next to the road instead of flat on the ground?
[QUOTE=gazzy_GUI;51572720]So wouldn't it just make more sense to have tracking solar arrays next to the road instead of flat on the ground?[/QUOTE] Pretty much this, this would maximize radiative transfer all day long whereas that road crap would only be somewhat optimal at noon. Putting this stuff in highways around which there's typically plenty of space to put panels on in the first place is retarded.
[url=https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eevblog+solar+roadways]Solar Roadways are bullshit and governments need to stop trying to force them into use anyway.[/url]
I also struggle to see the efficacy in solar roadways - with cars constantly dumping dirt, oil, grease, and rubber all over them on a daily basis I can't imagine them having a nominal impact. The maintenance costs must be outrageous.
I had actually no idea solar roadways were a thing and coming into this thread I thought it was good thing. Now I'm enlightened.
Aside from the various other problems associated with it, I'm curious to know how this takes pavement deformation and distress into account.
[QUOTE=Sherow_Xx;51572618]Solar roadways are great because it's extremely satisfying to watch something be so easily and undeniably debunked. [video=youtube;3pIfo1Dynjg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pIfo1Dynjg[/video] Even their own test installation provides no power, is half broken, and the LEDs can't be seen during the day. It debunks itself![/QUOTE] this is a different solar roadway however not from the same idiots
I'm still curious if they've implemented anything to prevent people from scrapping them for valuable parts or solar cells. Because if you expand it enough it'd be relatively easy to get away with breaking into the damn things, especially if you own anything that resembles construction gear/clothing, it'd simply be a matter of either having something to do with it or someone to sell it too. The whole thing just seems pointless. edit: I imagine in a world where this is widespread you'd have power management people screaming at traffic jams because they're reducing power output with their cars. At least putting solar cells on the roof of a car makes some sense, and would also be able to charge your battery passively so you don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere if you fuck up and drain it. edit: They'll probably cover the roof of Tesla's with solar cells years from now when they're way more affordable.
[QUOTE=J!NX;51573346]this is a different solar roadway however not from the same idiots[/QUOTE] I know, but these idiots are making the same mistake of putting solar panels under cars.
[QUOTE=_Axel;51572816]Pretty much this, this would maximize radiative transfer all day long whereas that road crap would only be somewhat optimal at noon. Putting this stuff in highways around which there's typically plenty of space to put panels on in the first place is retarded.[/QUOTE] The governments responsible for the construction of these experimental roadways may not have the rights to build anywhere but those roads, and the funds for this project might not have been available for any other purpose. The local government might also not like the idea of replacing greenery with a solar power plant, but the road is already there for lots of other reason. Hypothetically, a cost effect solar surface would be a reasonable alternative. Tracking is not necessary for a cost effective solar installation, and may not even be worth the extra cost of installation and maintenance. Plenty of houses get panels installed on their roofs without any intention of setting up a tracking system. It seems unlikely that this surface would be cost effective on its own, but research is good. This particular system doesn't seem to be nearly as complicated as the 'Solar Freakin Roadways' approach, either.
Normandy is also one of the least sunny regions in the whole country. To think someone who once ran for president is now getting roped into scams of the sort is only pointing out the raw incompetency of the government we've had for the past four years.
i'm convinced that this is not a serious project and it is actually a money laundering scheme
What a waste of money. They'd be better off burning stacks of cash than building this.
They could have easily set up solar panels on homes or a good distance away from the roads, y'know, like a sort of solar farm. This is dumb, they're dumb.
This just seems awful in so many ways. To me, the best way of getting more solar panels out there would be to mandate that all new constructions (eg houses) should have solar panels on their roofs. That way, the cost of the solar panels can be absorbed into the construction costs, which would only have a very small impact on regular mortgage payments (~$10,000 spread out through ~20 years of re-payments). And also, having solar panels right on the property means that their wouldn't be any efficiency losses from the electricity having to be sent km's through the grid, which is still a big problem with coal, nuclear etc.
[QUOTE=TAU!;51579660]They could have easily set up solar panels on homes or a good distance away from the roads, y'know, like a sort of solar farm. This is dumb, they're dumb.[/QUOTE] Yes government just build things on land/property you don't own!
So what happens if this turns out to be a success? (And I don't mean this query in a 'please quote this reply stating "It won't be" ' sense)
This is obviously way better than the Solar FREAKING Roadways, but it's still pretty dumb. Roads being a thing isn't really a good argument to put solar panels on them, and I haven't really seen any other arguments.
[QUOTE=Scot;51579720]Yes government just build things on land/property you don't own![/QUOTE] Would it be better to get permission to build solar panels on homes and other buildings/possibly building a solar farm, [b]OR[/b], building something that may as well be a sham that also brings 0% benefit to anyone? I'll wait. Also, solar roadways in general are just plain pointless and would cost more time and energy to construct, maintain, and fix, than they could likely generate.
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