There is an endless list of problems with this whole idea. Firstly, they keep pounding on how hard glass is. That's rather inconsequential. Bitumen is soft, and that's precisely why it makes such an optimal binding material for asphalt: It adapts for differences in temperature, and it doesn't break under stress. (Also, the gravel used in asphalt is harder than glass.) Glass on the other hand, no matter how hard, shatters. Especially tempered glass (which is what they are promoting) shatters easily with even the smallest of cracks. And if such a pane of glass shatters on a speedway, not only will it destroy the solar panel, it's a huge safety hazard for the cars. And such glass panes will get shattered pretty easily and pretty often if used on a road. You can't avoid gravel and small sharp stones ending up on the road and vehicles driving over them. They will crack, and they will shatter, that's just a fact of physics. Also, such loose panels are hazardous on a road all in itself. Like said, bitumen being soft is great because it adapts to whatever small changes there may happen on the soil under the road. Rigid panels won't, causing unevenness and dangerous situations. They are also greatly overestimating the efficiency of fixed solar panels on a road. Solar panel efficiency is something like 30%... when facing directly the Sun. These panels won't be for the vast majority of the day (and at many places never.) Also only a fraction of the hexagon will actually have solar panels, decreasing the efficiency even further. Transporting the electricity will incur even further losses and thus decreased efficiency. (The 30% efficiency estimate of a solar panel facing directly the sun is measuring the electricity produced directly by the panel and does not take into account losses caused by transporting the electricity over larger distances.) Add to that the fact that the proposed LEDs and all the electronics in the panel will consume a significant portion of said electricity, and you have to reduce the total efficiency even further, possibly even reaching zero or even negative efficiency. (And if you add to that the completely ridiculous idea of heating elements to melt ice, you go well beyond negative efficiency pretty fast.) And add to that the fact that the Sun doesn't shine all the time. It gets cloudy, it rains, it snows, the road gets dirty, cars are parked on the road... over half of the day will be night in winter (especially the more north you go)... Thinking that these panels will produce more energy than they consume during an entire year is a completely ridiculous idea. And of course there's the problem of cost. It doesn't matter what kind of production lines you have, producing this many panes, with this much glass and this much electronics, is going to be prohibitively expensive. The panes won't be producing enough electricity to even run themselves, much less run anything else, so it would only be a complete waste of money. The proposed LEDs won't be visible enough in bright daylight. It doesn't matter what they claim (and their counterexamples are fallacious). There's also the problem that LEDs, electronics and entire panels will get broken. This not only will hinder showing anything on the road, it would actually be a hazard.
There's also the cost of upgrading the education of every road worker in the areas where these would be installed. Who's going to pay for that? It sounds like a gigantic black hole if you ask me.
Also, even if this were somehow feasible to implement and they would be implemented, people _are_ going to steal the panels. The authors argue that there would be anti-theft systems using radio communication between the panels. Besides this increasing the cost and energy consumption of each panel even further, it's trivial to circumvent: With a faraday cage (which would be easy to build eg. inside a van or truck.) And a faraday cage is not something that you need super-expensive advanced technology to build. You can easily build one from scrap metal at virtually no cost. (And even if 99% of criminals wouldn't understand the concept, it's an easy-enough trick to teach, so it's enough for just some criminals to come up with the idea.)
everything you claim is a minor engineering problem and is solvable. The first Apollo rocket had less computing power then my cell phone , yet you think humans cant make this work? doing the "impossible " is how we got to where we are and if we want to keep moving we must keep trying. The solar farm in canada "first light " is only on .36 km squared of land and is creating enough power for 1000 homes ALL YEAR AROUND . my street alone with 100 houses at the most has much more AREA then first light , my street alone would have enough surplus energy to power over 900 houses , and you think a few LED's and heating system is gonna suck up that much power . my cell phone last 24 hours on a shit battery and is just as sophisticated if not more then these panels, GPS , weather conditions , text , cellular , sate light capabilities and 1000 apps . i cant imagine how power would be a problem just out of common sense and the surplus power bounces around the grid . its estimated to cost 1 trillion to cover the US roads with them. you guys owe 18 times that amount to the rest of the world LOL and its not like you would drop a trillion in a week and have it done it would be one road at a time and it would be paying itself off instead of sucking more money out of the governments pockets. I think this is an excellent idea and anyone who thinks otherwise is probably uneducated or lacks faith in the power of engineering. if a few speed bumps stopped anything in its tracks we wouldnt have tunnels, bridges, highspeed rails, or anything really. And anyone against these new tech ideas is against the survival of the human race the planet will only put up with so much abuse before we go extinct. you cant keep taking oil out of the ground and expect the empty space left under our feet to not be a problem , or to continue using dirty power and dim our atmosphere "the dimming effect" . any problems when they finally build a solar road full scale will be worked out by the great minds that solve all the other problems we face daily . Every problem has a solution or else it wouldnt exist in the first place.
tbone66613 Engineering cannot break the laws of physics, no matter how enthusiastic and visionary the engineers are. _"The solar farm in canada "first light " is only on .36 km squared of land and is creating enough power for 1000 homes ALL YEAR AROUND"_ How are the panels oriented? Are the panels full of electronics, LEDS and radio transmitters that need to be run by their own power? Are cars and trucks constantly driving over them, grinding gravel onto their glass surface? Are they covered in oil, rubber, dirt, gravel, and all kinds of stuff? Do they constantly break off, causing hazardous situations to cars driving at 80 MPH? How far away from the panels is the power distribution plant?
I watched thunderfoot's video and came away unimpressed. He hugely extrapolated, was patronizing, and clearly had it in his mind he had done more research (with wikipedia and $20 IKEA LED strips) than the folks developing this system. One particular item worth mentioning was that he constantly compared the road system of the US to the high tension line power grid. High tension lines are used to carry incredible amounts of current between cities and generation facilities. They are not used for carrying the kind of low current, decentralized power-generation this idea enables. He didn't destroy the idea any more than he put a snarky spin on questions he didn't know the answers to.
theFailQuail So the null position is that a system that has not yet been implemented works until it has been exhaustively demonstrated not to work? Do you not understand how fundamentally irrational that is? Also, how the hell does the power storage and transport system work then??
theFailQuail What?! High tension lines carry low current not high current. If you have high current lines, what you end up with is loads of waste heat, thats why we have step up and step down transformers, electricity is transported as high voltage, low current to limit the amount of waste heat, we then have transformers to up the current and lower the voltage for home use.
OK axe863, let me drop some knowledge / rationality on you, since you seem to love logical arguments. There is a fundamental difference between the domains of science and engineering. When science has thoroughly studied a domain of knowledge then the limits of what can be feasibly engineered become clearly defined. These engineers have clearly studied the latest science on materials, photovoltaics and electronics, then designed their technology around those principles. Because they did their homework they can have a high degree of certainty that their prototypes will work without even having built them yet. That is the power of science, it allows you to make accurate predictions about events before they have ever been observed, in this case the reliability of a technology before it has been built yet. And yes, there are probably going to be unforeseen obstacles along the way, but that is the nature of inventing any technology, whether it be light bulbs, or rockets to the moon. So get off you high horse and stop discouraging people from pursuing technologies that can make the world a better place.
Rich Hart If you disregard most of what was said though even. Glass is just not viable. To expensive, and to soft. In general the entire concept is just to expensive. And he really hit the ball outta the park with the parking lot thing. It would be useless to make parking lots out of this stuff.
This is pure fantasy. I really wish it could work because it would be awesome. What happens when a crack emerges in the glass, water seeps in and destroys the circuit? Are the LEDs bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight from a low angle? How much power will the roadways generate? I'm assuming their efficiency will be low because their angle is not perpendicular to the sun. Will the gathered power be high enough to sustain the heated elements in the panels for extended periods of time? How much will it cost to replace the inexpensive asphalt with these expensive tiles? How much will the upkeep costs be? How much will upgrades cost?
Some asshole might even attach chains to his tires in the winter and break 200km worth of solar roadway. Other assholes will do it just for fun. mWhat happens in the event of a hurricane when shit slams into the roads at 200 miles and hour for days...god fucking damn there are so many things that could fuck the roads up. What about army convoys with tanks and shit? Forest fires can sipe out large sections of highways..... thinking about it for a second raises serious doubts about the current technology.
Thunderf00t has answers to it all. This project is never going to be realised by these 2 idiots. It's too early. Another 100-200 Years in the future, it can be tried again.
Too expensive, too inefficient, too high maintenance, too much dirt, too much scratching, too much shadow and Led's aren't visible in daylight from a low angle. Besides there's a reason why roads are asphalt, IT'S CHEAP. Rooftop solar is at an angle which gives about twice as much power and there's not the issue of cars and trucks destroying them. And good luck replacing all those panels when the LED's have run out again.
1."maintenance: More jobs " absolute waste of tax money, might as well hire ppl to watch grass grow 2."expensive: Pays for itself" never in a hundred million years will it pay for itself, regular solar panels placed at an angle without all this shit on top have some serious trouble breaking even (depending on the price of energy in your area) 3."Not visible in daylight: New panels are." just thinking about the sheer amount of led's/energy required to visibly illuminate such a large surface in daylight is crazy the number of problems with this would be infinite even if they were under a clear glass surface, not a rugged, scratched dirty panel. 4.OP sucks and so do you.
Silent33091 LEDs are efficient buddy, not to mention the solar panels power the LEDs themselves. Your answer to nr. 2 is absolute bullshit, especially with the fast increasing efficiency in photovoltaic & photochemical cells. It _will_ pay for itself, unless you can find a good article on solar energy that counters this, I don't want to hear your blabbering.
I'm an electrician and come in regular contact with all electrical items. I can tell anyone who believes in SR, is a absolute dreamer. Dream on till you die.
Because that wouldn't be high tech enough and it's too simple and doable. They want a showy road that will change the landscape of the US. It wont work though but who cares about that... -_-
Yanfang Qi Erm, no. It doesn't decrease building costs, it increases the costs. It also increases revenue. Just like making it a toll road would. Also, in case you are an accountant: putting that revenue into the "road" column instead of the "next to the road" column, doesn't actually change the revenue.
They put solar panels in a cycling lane in the Netherlands in Januari/Februari 2011. By the end of 2014, they were broken due to the cold. On top of that their elektricity production was very, very low and the cost was very high. That's only a cycling lane! Immagine how ineffective and cost inefficient it would be for cars with much more mass and dirt. This whole idea is retarded. Place solar panels on rooftops if you want to where you can put them at an optimal angle, they stay relativly clean and you don't need to replace anything. But not in roads.
Lennart I ran the numbers.... While they are silent now, the Scott Bruchaw went on record 5 years ago saying the cost of the roadways would be about $70 per sq foot.The panels are 4 sq. ft hexagons. They claim that each of these hexagons have 69% coverage, and produce up to 52 watts of electricity. (a 50-watt, 4sq. ft home solar panel kit currently runs about $200, without fancy LEDs, electronics, heaters, or tempered glass, I think this number is very reasonable, and probably low) At current electric rates in my state, at best, when operating at 100% peak efficiency, ignoring any loss from parked cars/traffic, trees overhead, etc. etc. would generate $16 a year worth of electricity. That means each panel would need to function flawlessly for 17.5 years in order to pay for itself, ignoring the cost of installation, maintenance, or operation of those fancy LEDs and Heating elements. Cost to put them on 1 mile of city street? $10,718,400
Rob Doar those calculation have been done before. But what is your conclusion? Edit: 17 years to repay themselves? That seems on the low side because of the inmense cost to put them in a road, cover them with a material transparent enough yet providing enough friction, the wiring (copper isn't exactly cheap at the moment) etc etc.
For just the base cost of materials of the panels themselves ... as I said above, ignoring the operation, installation, and maintenance costs. The conclusion is pretty evident.
Rob Doar some people might say its worth it. But 10.7 million for 1 mile. Unless its a very high bridge over a very dangerous river I'd say its just a tad expensive.
Just wanted you to know that we previewed this TH-cam Video at our Keller Williams Sales Meeting in Henderson, NV today and we were all in awe. What a fabulous idea! Please keep us updated, we'll all be watching in Las Vegas!
The best of luck to you guys and gals working on this project. The positive effects it could have on power, pollution, the economy, jobs and stimulating the production of off shoot technologies sound amazing. It's most probably will be that the great ideas that save the world will come from the individual not a corporation. It will undoubtedly take corporations to implement them, but the initial ingenuity will come from the little guy working out of his garage.
raggaresset Actually due to it's shape and how it's configured earthquakes would pass under it and not damage it. mudslides well there is no way of stopping that unless you build barriers to hold it up, plus if this goes through then they'll be a consistent job for years to come removing and replacing roadfs
You'd be surprised at how strong glass can be, actually. My father's a glassworker, so I learned all about this growing up. Glass can be ridiculously strong, depending on the type you get. The kind my father uses...its fancy name is borosilicate...look it up. That stuff is so strong, you can drop a marble of it from a few meters up onto ceramic tile, and the ceramic tile will crack _long_ before the marble even chips. And these guys, clearly, are aiming for something even stronger than that. So using glass is actually a very promising idea. They just have to do it right is all.
So they textured the glass up. They already thought of this; it's mentioned on their website that they put the panels through traction-testing systems, and actually had to back off on the roughness when it became too rough for the test-tires. *shrug* I've been around glassworkers my whole life; I know what it's capable of. You might not see it, but honestly, I can't think of a better material they could've used for both strength, traction, and clarity. Glass has a lot of potential...
alias mrstarmat What planet do you live on? I have work with modeling energy time series. They're extremely heavy tailed and exhibit complex serial dependence largely because energy storage is extremely costly. You have a right to your opinions but you dont have a right to your own facts.
Chuck norris The actual, usable light generated from one of those panels is only capable of lighting itself, and that would be about less than 1/4 of the surface area. Additionally, the glass would be marred and glazed from wear in about a minute, and the light I mentioned above generated? That would be from direct sunlight- these tiles would be on the road and only able to get direct light during high noon... so how are they going to generate any light to store if it is raining, or snowing, or cloudy... and as for storage- it has been mentioned above already (read the comment thread) and even if they had storage facilities, it would cost more to run them than it costs to say, maybe put up a light pole and install a bulb... kind of like we do now. Look- I am all for sustainable resources and renewable energy- when it works. I do not support folly and a scam that appeals to some sense of decency but accomplishes nothing but costing us all more.
The whole thing is just a stupid idea that sounds like it could be great. When you get to the root of it, it's a solar powered torch, made of glass that you drive on. Does that sound like a good idea to anyone?
Dear All who are working on this Idea... Congratulations for a marvelous Idea!! Also those worried about the negative comments... please care to realize the positive aspect of the negative comments... they are providing you with more risk factors to be considered, so that you can plan a better product by eliminating the real threats/ consequences/ anomalies/ blah blah blah... this will make your product realization more efficient and faster... please treat the negative comments as your valuable research inputs... all the best...........!!
Keep in mind, with Glass Roads comes an option of re-inventing the wheel, in this case specifically the Tires. Also, since Electric Cars are going to need to park on sides of the road, I think the option of plug-in Coin Operated Power Refueling Parking Meters should be considered with City-Model Panels. (Solar Trees would be a great pairing with this!)
One question, you have a masters degree in engineering and say you can store energy with solar panels? how ? the only way you can store electricity is with batteries, there is no other way to do it, even a 8 grd knows this. Srsly, people giving attention to this, don't have the slightest ideea how energy storage works.
+Radicalftw You can store in in a lot of mediums other than batteries. Capacitors, inductors, thermal (salt, oil, sand, etc.) or even gasses (hydrogen).
For all of those who say "you can't" about the ideas of others who are trying to create real solutions for problems in this world, how about contributing positive thoughts and ideas to help these things become a reality. We didn't start flying, we didn't start diving, we didn't go to space and reach the heavens by accepting "you can't". Stop thinking about why something can't happen, and start thinking about how we can make it happen.
Congratulations, you're one of the idiots who will lose their money funding this idiotic idea... or worse, one of the idiots who will waste OTHER people's money.
Not a bright idea! This would only work in areas that does not snow, rain hard, have falling leaves. Cities and towns that don’t need to have their streets swept by a street sweeper. Because during the winter season, cities use big trucks with a large blade to push the snow to the side. This blade would actually damage the top transparent layer. Also with the freezing water expanding, it would create pathways for water to get to the delicate circuitry and damage them. During the raining seasons, it would be more slippery. During the fall you have leaves that fall down. Those would block the LED’s from actually being read right. Also you got the big street sweepers that help keep city and town roads clean. So they would need to have a special one just for this type of road, otherwise the current sweeper they do have would damage them. Then you got city utilities access points such as manhole covers, water mains turn off points and so forth to also think about. Again this would only work in such an environment where it does not rain, snow, leaves, or dust. The only way they can make this works is first to make transparent indestructible aluminum first!
It would literally be thousands of times cheaper AND generate far more power to place panels along the sides of the roads at an angle where they can directly face the Sun. If the millions of dollars they received for Solar Roadways had actually been invested in real solar panels to put on the sides of the roads, we'd actually have it done by now, and it would actually work.
I did do the research, the research. There product is still a piece of shit and not worth it weight if it was water. I already seen it in action. Just after a couple months, it has failing LED's. And those LED's can't be seen that far either. It just an oversize expensive disco floor.
luke france shadows casted by everything on top of the roads plus you cant have a road thats made of something reflective like solarpanels without causing an accident
I saw a unicorn fart an oil derivitive, etching fluid free solar panel once. It generated at 100% efficiency. It can happen! I saw it on the internets!
Well I am here to let all the sceptics know there is a new technology out there that will revolutionize this idea! Above Road Solar Freakin' Roadways(TM), they managed to more then double the efficiency, bring the cost down to 1/10th and with incredible new glass development the vehicles driving past these panels will cause no damage! Not to mention a new patent pending technology which can provide weather shielding for the road, it is truly technology of the future. ... you might also know it as regular freakin solar panels.
I like the way you think MsSomeonenew, I was about post a couple of those thoughts myself. Not to mention street lights and road signs could be powered by SP and connected to the road, the road markings themselves could be lit and changed when necessary.
So many naysayers thinking they're professional engineers because of Google and Wikipedia, dear god. This is a wonderful initiative and you should all support it.
Sexual Potatoes No. Us professional engineers also think its unworkable. Its WAY before its time and unlikely to ever be feasible with any foreseeable technology. You are wasting your money supporting this. BEng MASc PEng
flopticalcube A lot of professional engineers also think it IS workable. There will always be a divergence of opinions. I say let them try, if it's not feasible they it won't go anywhere, If it is and you're wrong, it can be something great. There's no point in shooting things down like this before they go any further. You can be skeptical, but you have to admit you don't know the specifics details behind this technology, so you don't exactly have a really informed opinion. I think we should support projects like this regardless. This inspires other people to do similar things and create good ideas that have good social impact. Just saying "CAN'T BE DONE, THIS IS A BAD IDEA" does not help anyone in any way.
Sexual Potatoes No one else that I know in the field thinks its remotely feasible. Do you personally know a lot of EEs? The technology is well known. The math just does not work out. Its money for old rope. I'd prefer to support materials research rather than someone attempting the equivalent of space travel using chewing gum and paper clips. Complete waste of resources. In the end you cannot escape the math no matter how much money you raise.
22Langstone Glass will get worn out fairly quickly and lose whatever traction it has. Not to mention constantly changing temperatures and heavy loads will eventually cause it to crack more easily than asphalt. Or the fact that it's immensely more expensive than regular asphalt concrete. Here is a simple science experiment you can do at home. Rub some dirt and rocks against a window. And see how quickly you can scratch up the glass. Now imagine thousands of cars driving over that glass, with dirt building up on these roads over time. And try to imagine how long it will take before that traction on the glass will wear out.
You guys have come along way in 9 years and it's almost works and will replace the old system exactly how the world needs it too. In time this will change the world, and it's almost there. -Th3 K1d.
Lots of people here are trying to dispel an idea that has a lot of potential. Sure the technology has its problems in its current state( that is why its called a prototype), but its definitely a technology that people see the use in and is worth pursuing. If you look at the improvements in this technology over the last few years there have been remarkable improvements such as durability, cost of solar panels, energy storage, and not to mention a need for more sustainable technologies. So yeah maybe its not prefect yet, but don't attempt to hold back potential. Every technology has had hurdles when it has started, but through innovation those technologies have been remarkably useful. When the internet started many people thought it was futile, but time again it has had astounding benefits to society.
I like the idea. Progress needs money, but they should tout it as a technology in its infancy, and needed research and development, not as a finished product that is immediately available.
The prototype will die like a man alone on Mars. If this would even be close to possible, big companies would be buying solar roadways before you know it. Ooooh, wait nobody buy? nobody think gud? aaah yes terrible idea! Hey wait, let me just quick invent something... errrrrm.... See through brick walls! Thanks to a special technology that i have not yet developed and cannot show, i can bring sunlight through a brick wall, without losing stability or my privacy.
He isn't able to use science well, this will not work. The far better idea is to put solar panels next to the roads. Why put them under car tires? Glass scratches, so these will lose sunlight as they scratch. I don't buy for a second these things could stand up to an emergence braking situation with a semi-truck. After the glass is worn smooth by all the grit that is ground into it by tires it will be slick as hell. They have wide straight groves in them, so there is no way I could ride my motorcycle on them. These will be massively expensive. I can go on and on.
You mean like the man who first postulated the big bang theory? Or the man who is called the "Father of Genetics"? Or any of the other *thousands* of Christian scientists throughout history?
These guys are fuckin geniuses. They are going to make so much money off this scam. They already have $2M in donations. I wish I would have thought of this.
I agree - that's a significant change. Hence the extensive testing, prototyping, etc. Proclaiming something unfeasible is a good way to assure that it never gets off the ground, and that won't get us very far. The challenges we face are tremendous; consequently, we need bold solutions that ask us to think outside of the box.
Yes, I think there's a fine line to be walked between creating something with robust features and making a product that is "passively survivable" - relatively simple and easy to maintain with many of the features embedded in the glass or surface itself. More secure and perhaps more modular for repairs.
God, it'd be funny if it weren't so sad. I watched the video then read through the first dozen comments. The majority of them consist of people trying to poke holes into the idea. What about traction? What about silver? What about flooding, potholes??? Isn't it possible - no, probable - that these issues have been addressed and a
yep, the science completely supports this... what if, what if, what if . . . if Edison stopped every time someone said WHAT IF something terrible is going to happen from a light bulb, we wouldn't have light bulbs....
wouldnt it be great if star trek was real, and we could just teleport everywhere! Now sure there will be naysayers who pick little holes in that project, like saying 'yes, but thats not technologically possible'. /sarcasm Put simply... hoping or wanting something to be true is not a good reason to believe something is possible. This video is BS from almost the first sentence.... 'we are going to run out of asphalt'... this is just complete BS... asphalt is basically a waste product of the petroleum industry. Thats why its so cheap and thats why its used to make roads. AND YES... the fact that glass is a lousy material to build roads out of IS important. It does not have the suitable traction properties when wet or dirty to be suitable for roads. Plus glass is a comparatively soft material. Dirt on the road and tyre action would probably render it opaque in about 1 day on a freeway.
***** Well in theory they did test for traction and other things. But you gotta take their for word for it. The glass being rendered opaque is interesting thought. I would assume they would've tested for that before applying for a goverment contest? The idea isn't bad anyway.
*****, I'm a huge fan of your videos, and very apprehensive to call you out, but isn't the petroleum industry going to come to an end some day, seeing as it relies on non-sustainable materials? Also, if the roadways have met the government's traction requirements, then surely they must be safe?
The beauty of this solution that it uses existing technologies. Each component exists and this is a convergence technology. All the obvious problems, cost, durability, glare, etc. are engineering problems with solutions. Scale, iteration, and prototyping can find and resolve all these concerns...just like any other engineering project. There is no need to cross fingers hoping for silver bullet technologies. We need to start solving our problems now instead of waiting around.
I see all these comments dissing something that is still in the prototype phase... really? Of course this seems like a bad idea, because we "haven't seen what it can do yet." So could we all just put the "hate" on hold until after we've seen what it can do? I mean isn't that the Grown up thing to do?
The grown up thing would be to see what actual scientists think about the project and study their arguments. I would love to see it work, but it won't... Watch thunderf00t's video for example. There are a lot more.
Arthur Bishop I did watch his video, both of them, and the guy is just bashing it non stop. For all his talk on scientists and what not he doesn't tell me who he is, where he is finding his material, or which scientists have said this won't work. On the first video he sounds so pretentious and arrogant that I had a hard enough time watching it and when he nears the end he flat out says that the people who invented it are idiots. I never heard where he got his degree in electronics or thermodynamics, all he did was look this stuff up on the internet, and we all know the internet can be "trusted." Not to say he doesn't raise some points, I'm glad he used a real example with the LED lights, but that is the only example he used the rest where cut outs from other videos and pictures of power girds and the US Highway system. Look, I don't mean to sound rude, I'm sorry if I came off like that, I just hate it when people don't give new things a new chance. If humanity didn't do that I wouldn't be driving to work with my own automobile, reading a book next to a lamp, and typing this on my personal computer.
Listen, just because this idea has naysayers doesn't make this idea a legitimate one. You are right. People did laugh at the Wright Brothers, they also doubted Galileo and Darwin, but guess what, people also laugh and doubt the guy who claimed vaccinations cause autism. Well people are laughing at that notion that vaccinations have a direct cause in autism, so therefor, there must be some merit to the people who claim that since people are doubting him.
People also laugh at clowns and those who fail thoroughly. Just because you are being laughed at, that does not make you a genius, you could be clown (or the other). There is even a higher probability of being the latter. By the way, the guy who claimed vaccinations cause autism has already confessed to his fraud some time ago. Who still uses this as a credible source should be laughed at.
actually the autism-vaccination link is proven false, based on the fact that the original study was falsified. This is even something the man who 'performed' that study and experiment admitted to. He fudged those results and has since admitted to it. He has since regretted his decision. look it up. But yeah I get your idea. People always laugh at the revolutionary, yet too-good-to-be-true-ideas.
When I was in 8th grade, this was my exact research for science fair xD I'm happy to see people actually building it because it will honestly make this country 3x more efficient.
& just for the record: I'm an American, started doing hard labor at the age of 13 with my dad at his oil company, which is still a family business. Been an entrepreneur all my life. I have destroyed/repaired&built roads, hauled heavy equipment all over the country and have a good bit of engineering and electrical knowledge.
He actually raises a valid point, glass may be able to reach the strength of steel in certain situations but the grit in soil contains many componds such as aluminium oxide that are harder than both and will scratch the glass to some degree. Whether or not this will cause major problems is impossible to tell without doing tests.
I think it is crazy that so many people here dismiss the concept because of some perceived flaw. Of course the engineers have thought about problems surround weather conditions, dirt & grime, weight, cost and other problems that are incredibly obvious to everyone. Part of the engineering process is overcoming these challenges. Dismissing an idea because of a problem is a recipe for a life of failure. Will it work? Don't know. But I am glad someone is trying to change our world for the better.
This is really exciting! I hope that it works from technical and economic perspectives. It would be fantastic if we had roadways that would alter drivers/ future driverless cars about pedestrians, cyclists, and other potential obstacles. As a current medical student/ future physician (and former engineer), I'd like to thank you for putting in the time and effort to develop these solutions for safer, more energy-efficient roads. I really hope that solar energy and storage technologies pan out for us!
Great idea and it looks like the engineering is very doable...now I'd like to see a small working road with cost estimates if it was pushed out to commercial size usage.
There are many, many problems they will run into with it's design that they will have to overcome. I'm sure they're aware and are working on a solution, much like they are working on the solutions to the problems they mentioned - Sunlight glare, ability to withstand a fully loaded semi hammering on the brakes, etc. This project has a lot to work through if it even wants to be installed on crosswalks, let alone highways.
There are all sorts of techniques available to glass-makers. One way to add grip is to drizzle crushed glass on a slightly melted slab of glass-- just melted enough so that the crushed pieces stick to it but not so melted that it all gets smooth again. Pretty clever. There are other ways, too, but that's one that I've seen a sample for. It is super grippy.
It's stuff like this that makes me excited for the future and frustrated that forward thinkers are rarely listened to. There are so many great ideas out there that if the governments just thought 20 years ahead rather than what is going to be popular enough to get them reelected, then we could really change many of the current problems. Vertical farming, city farming, green roof space and capturing human energy are all examples.
The problem with glass that I see right off, is that when its wet, things slip on it easily. The dimples don't really help as much as you would think. I've driven across this type of surface structure. There is a round-about with this type of surface that is dangerous when wet. I'm really curious to see one of these from the driver perspective on a bright day with the sun in front of you between 20 to 60 degrees above the horizon. Most city streets and main roads run north/south or east/west. That could be a problem. Also, how visible are those LED's on these panels from driver level around noon. These would certainly be awesome at a parking area for a night club. Las Vegas streets would be that much more incredible at night. But what do they really look like in full sun? And again...from driver level.
This is an amazing application for solar pv. Heating the panels to avert snow is brilliant. One spec I'd like to see added is for flooding. I see this is grid-tied, does this prototype run independently as well? Great work!
You have a good point. I don't think the entire road will be lit up, only the lines on the road, which I think would probably give off a negligible amount of light.
Sending data and power to homes and business through the road isa but optimistic. The shots of the kids playing makes me think that the initial installations should be at school cross walks and public parks. The pressure response would also make these panels a blast on the play ground.
Great idea! This is what we should be spending money on-- innovations like this that help EVERYONE EVERYWHERE. Now take it one step further-- Electric cars with INDUCTIVE CHARGING. Remember bumper cars? Imagine a whole road that can power the cars traveling over it safely. Now you just jump on the highway and it doesn't matter how far you're driving-- the battery collects power from the road and charges as its driving... GENIUS!
Are you a part of our homeowner's association Jerramy? :-) Just trying to get these people to agree to do anything to maintain our roadways has been a real eye opener. I think they enjoy fighting! Still, this is a great idea and I hope communities wiser than mine will get on board with it!
Awesome idea. another thing to consider is road maintenance, the snow might melt because of the heat generated from the concentrated solar cells, but will it gum up, or melt tires during the hot summer months? If this works, I would love to see the day when the ugly utility poles come down.
Yes, flat glass used for windows and windshields are slippery when wet. However, as they mentioned, there is higher, stronger grades of glass, and glass that can be textured to have the same traction as asphalt.
They're finishing off the building of a second prototype.. a parking lot. They'll be unveiling that in 3 days time. This project definitely has legs right now, despite being little known. Let's hope it gets a lot more publicity and becomes a reality rather than a little Idaho project.
Wow!!! They say the best ideas are the simplest ones. This is frikking awesome. Sure there are hurdles to jump, and the oil and energy companies will undoubtedly fight this PROGRESS with tooth and nail. But... What if it works? Which it already looks like it could. What if this could provides, power, jobs, sustainability??? Not to mention roads that look awesome at night. Etc etc etc. I'm a fan. I've watched all of the clips that I could find already. And I'm 100% behind the idea. Good luck to these guys. I can't wait to see those roads in my lifetime.
There are other problems mentioned before but I think the biggest obstacle is the labor costs. Asphalt roads are much simpler and still most of their cost is in the labor and equipment. Making them involves street paving vehicles that can form a 10 foot wide lane in one continuous motion without any one touching the street. Have they thought of any methods to make the construction of these solar roads as efficient as possible? You'd need to come up with a new workflow, and possibly build new machines for the automation of building these roads. I really doubt that manual installations would be affordable on a large scale.
There is an endless list of problems with this whole idea.
Firstly, they keep pounding on how hard glass is. That's rather inconsequential. Bitumen is soft, and that's precisely why it makes such an optimal binding material for asphalt: It adapts for differences in temperature, and it doesn't break under stress. (Also, the gravel used in asphalt is harder than glass.) Glass on the other hand, no matter how hard, shatters. Especially tempered glass (which is what they are promoting) shatters easily with even the smallest of cracks. And if such a pane of glass shatters on a speedway, not only will it destroy the solar panel, it's a huge safety hazard for the cars.
And such glass panes will get shattered pretty easily and pretty often if used on a road. You can't avoid gravel and small sharp stones ending up on the road and vehicles driving over them. They will crack, and they will shatter, that's just a fact of physics.
Also, such loose panels are hazardous on a road all in itself. Like said, bitumen being soft is great because it adapts to whatever small changes there may happen on the soil under the road. Rigid panels won't, causing unevenness and dangerous situations.
They are also greatly overestimating the efficiency of fixed solar panels on a road. Solar panel efficiency is something like 30%... when facing directly the Sun. These panels won't be for the vast majority of the day (and at many places never.) Also only a fraction of the hexagon will actually have solar panels, decreasing the efficiency even further. Transporting the electricity will incur even further losses and thus decreased efficiency. (The 30% efficiency estimate of a solar panel facing directly the sun is measuring the electricity produced directly by the panel and does not take into account losses caused by transporting the electricity over larger distances.)
Add to that the fact that the proposed LEDs and all the electronics in the panel will consume a significant portion of said electricity, and you have to reduce the total efficiency even further, possibly even reaching zero or even negative efficiency. (And if you add to that the completely ridiculous idea of heating elements to melt ice, you go well beyond negative efficiency pretty fast.)
And add to that the fact that the Sun doesn't shine all the time. It gets cloudy, it rains, it snows, the road gets dirty, cars are parked on the road... over half of the day will be night in winter (especially the more north you go)... Thinking that these panels will produce more energy than they consume during an entire year is a completely ridiculous idea.
And of course there's the problem of cost. It doesn't matter what kind of production lines you have, producing this many panes, with this much glass and this much electronics, is going to be prohibitively expensive. The panes won't be producing enough electricity to even run themselves, much less run anything else, so it would only be a complete waste of money.
The proposed LEDs won't be visible enough in bright daylight. It doesn't matter what they claim (and their counterexamples are fallacious). There's also the problem that LEDs, electronics and entire panels will get broken. This not only will hinder showing anything on the road, it would actually be a hazard.
There's also the cost of upgrading the education of every road worker in the areas where these would be installed. Who's going to pay for that? It sounds like a gigantic black hole if you ask me.
Also, even if this were somehow feasible to implement and they would be implemented, people _are_ going to steal the panels.
The authors argue that there would be anti-theft systems using radio communication between the panels. Besides this increasing the cost and energy consumption of each panel even further, it's trivial to circumvent: With a faraday cage (which would be easy to build eg. inside a van or truck.)
And a faraday cage is not something that you need super-expensive advanced technology to build. You can easily build one from scrap metal at virtually no cost. (And even if 99% of criminals wouldn't understand the concept, it's an easy-enough trick to teach, so it's enough for just some criminals to come up with the idea.)
everything you claim is a minor engineering problem and is solvable. The first Apollo rocket had less computing power then my cell phone , yet you think humans cant make this work? doing the "impossible " is how we got to where we are and if we want to keep moving we must keep trying. The solar farm in canada "first light " is only on .36 km squared of land and is creating enough power for 1000 homes ALL YEAR AROUND . my street alone with 100 houses at the most has much more AREA then first light , my street alone would have enough surplus energy to power over 900 houses , and you think a few LED's and heating system is gonna suck up that much power . my cell phone last 24 hours on a shit battery and is just as sophisticated if not more then these panels, GPS , weather conditions , text , cellular , sate light capabilities and 1000 apps . i cant imagine how power would be a problem just out of common sense and the surplus power bounces around the grid . its estimated to cost 1 trillion to cover the US roads with them. you guys owe 18 times that amount to the rest of the world LOL and its not like you would drop a trillion in a week and have it done it would be one road at a time and it would be paying itself off instead of sucking more money out of the governments pockets. I think this is an excellent idea and anyone who thinks otherwise is probably uneducated or lacks faith in the power of engineering. if a few speed bumps stopped anything in its tracks we wouldnt have tunnels, bridges, highspeed rails, or anything really. And anyone against these new tech ideas is against the survival of the human race the planet will only put up with so much abuse before we go extinct. you cant keep taking oil out of the ground and expect the empty space left under our feet to not be a problem , or to continue using dirty power and dim our atmosphere "the dimming effect" . any problems when they finally build a solar road full scale will be worked out by the great minds that solve all the other problems we face daily . Every problem has a solution or else it wouldnt exist in the first place.
tbone66613
Engineering cannot break the laws of physics, no matter how enthusiastic and visionary the engineers are.
_"The solar farm in canada "first light " is only on .36 km squared of land and is creating enough power for 1000 homes ALL YEAR AROUND"_
How are the panels oriented? Are the panels full of electronics, LEDS and radio transmitters that need to be run by their own power? Are cars and trucks constantly driving over them, grinding gravel onto their glass surface? Are they covered in oil, rubber, dirt, gravel, and all kinds of stuff? Do they constantly break off, causing hazardous situations to cars driving at 80 MPH? How far away from the panels is the power distribution plant?
***** Oh my god. I think you should watch the videos that I listed in my first reply to this thread.
Thunderf00t destroyed this non-sense.
I watched thunderfoot's video and came away unimpressed. He hugely extrapolated, was patronizing, and clearly had it in his mind he had done more research (with wikipedia and $20 IKEA LED strips) than the folks developing this system. One particular item worth mentioning was that he constantly compared the road system of the US to the high tension line power grid. High tension lines are used to carry incredible amounts of current between cities and generation facilities. They are not used for carrying the kind of low current, decentralized power-generation this idea enables.
He didn't destroy the idea any more than he put a snarky spin on questions he didn't know the answers to.
theFailQuail So the null position is that a system that has not yet been implemented works until it has been exhaustively demonstrated not to work? Do you not understand how fundamentally irrational that is? Also, how the hell does the power storage and transport system work then??
theFailQuail What?! High tension lines carry low current not high current. If you have high current lines, what you end up with is loads of waste heat, thats why we have step up and step down transformers, electricity is transported as high voltage, low current to limit the amount of waste heat, we then have transformers to up the current and lower the voltage for home use.
OK axe863, let me drop some knowledge / rationality on you, since you seem to love logical arguments. There is a fundamental difference between the domains of science and engineering. When science has thoroughly studied a domain of knowledge then the limits of what can be feasibly engineered become clearly defined. These engineers have clearly studied the latest science on materials, photovoltaics and electronics, then designed their technology around those principles. Because they did their homework they can have a high degree of certainty that their prototypes will work without even having built them yet. That is the power of science, it allows you to make accurate predictions about events before they have ever been observed, in this case the reliability of a technology before it has been built yet. And yes, there are probably going to be unforeseen obstacles along the way, but that is the nature of inventing any technology, whether it be light bulbs, or rockets to the moon. So get off you high horse and stop discouraging people from pursuing technologies that can make the world a better place.
Rich Hart If you disregard most of what was said though even. Glass is just not viable. To expensive, and to soft. In general the entire concept is just to expensive. And he really hit the ball outta the park with the parking lot thing. It would be useless to make parking lots out of this stuff.
So inspirational.
I hope the whole solar system will be covered in Solar Roadways, especially the planets closer to the sun like Pluto and Ceres.
This is pure fantasy. I really wish it could work because it would be awesome. What happens when a crack emerges in the glass, water seeps in and destroys the circuit? Are the LEDs bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight from a low angle? How much power will the roadways generate? I'm assuming their efficiency will be low because their angle is not perpendicular to the sun. Will the gathered power be high enough to sustain the heated elements in the panels for extended periods of time? How much will it cost to replace the inexpensive asphalt with these expensive tiles? How much will the upkeep costs be? How much will upgrades cost?
Some asshole might even attach chains to his tires in the winter and break 200km worth of solar roadway. Other assholes will do it just for fun. mWhat happens in the event of a hurricane when shit slams into the roads at 200 miles and hour for days...god fucking damn there are so many things that could fuck the roads up. What about army convoys with tanks and shit? Forest fires can sipe out large sections of highways..... thinking about it for a second raises serious doubts about the current technology.
Thunderf00t has answers to it all. This project is never going to be realised by these 2 idiots. It's too early. Another 100-200 Years in the future, it can be tried again.
It's only a fantasy if no one tries.
Too expensive, too inefficient, too high maintenance, too much dirt, too much scratching, too much shadow and Led's aren't visible in daylight from a low angle. Besides there's a reason why roads are asphalt, IT'S CHEAP. Rooftop solar is at an angle which gives about twice as much power and there's not the issue of cars and trucks destroying them. And good luck replacing all those panels when the LED's have run out again.
High maintenance: More jobs
It's expensive: Pays for itself
Not visible in daylight: New panels are.
1."maintenance: More jobs " absolute waste of tax money, might as well hire ppl to watch grass grow
2."expensive: Pays for itself" never in a hundred million years will it pay for itself, regular solar panels placed at an angle without all this shit on top have some serious trouble breaking even (depending on the price of energy in your area)
3."Not visible in daylight: New panels are." just thinking about the sheer amount of led's/energy required to visibly illuminate such a large surface in daylight is crazy the number of problems with this would be infinite even if they were under a clear glass surface, not a rugged, scratched dirty panel.
4.OP sucks and so do you.
Silent33091 LEDs are efficient buddy, not to mention the solar panels power the LEDs themselves. Your answer to nr. 2 is absolute bullshit, especially with the fast increasing efficiency in photovoltaic & photochemical cells.
It _will_ pay for itself, unless you can find a good article on solar energy that counters this, I don't want to hear your blabbering.
I'm an electrician and come in regular contact with all electrical items. I can tell anyone who believes in SR, is a absolute dreamer. Dream on till you die.
+Jakisuaki
One year later, how's the progress on solar roadways going?
Why not just build solar panels along the side of the already existing roads??
Reall? Cause would that would be too dangerous! They'd get run over! DUH!
Because that wouldn't be high tech enough and it's too simple and doable. They want a showy road that will change the landscape of the US. It wont work though but who cares about that... -_-
But the normal roads are cheaper.
Yanfang Qi
Erm, no. It doesn't decrease building costs, it increases the costs. It also increases revenue. Just like making it a toll road would.
Also, in case you are an accountant: putting that revenue into the "road" column instead of the "next to the road" column, doesn't actually change the revenue.
because you would still have to pay for construction.
I have a batter idea. Put the solar panels in the desert. You won't have to deal with all the problems of using them on roads.
They put solar panels in a cycling lane in the Netherlands in Januari/Februari 2011. By the end of 2014, they were broken due to the cold. On top of that their elektricity production was very, very low and the cost was very high. That's only a cycling lane! Immagine how ineffective and cost inefficient it would be for cars with much more mass and dirt.
This whole idea is retarded. Place solar panels on rooftops if you want to where you can put them at an optimal angle, they stay relativly clean and you don't need to replace anything. But not in roads.
Lennart I ran the numbers....
While they are silent now, the Scott Bruchaw went on record 5 years ago saying the cost of the roadways would be about $70 per sq foot.The panels are 4 sq. ft hexagons. They claim that each of these hexagons have 69% coverage, and produce up to 52 watts of electricity. (a 50-watt, 4sq. ft home solar panel kit currently runs about $200, without fancy LEDs, electronics, heaters, or tempered glass, I think this number is very reasonable, and probably low)
At current electric rates in my state, at best, when operating at 100% peak efficiency, ignoring any loss from parked cars/traffic, trees overhead, etc. etc. would generate $16 a year worth of electricity.
That means each panel would need to function flawlessly for 17.5 years in order to pay for itself, ignoring the cost of installation, maintenance, or operation of those fancy LEDs and Heating elements.
Cost to put them on 1 mile of city street?
$10,718,400
Rob Doar those calculation have been done before.
But what is your conclusion?
Edit: 17 years to repay themselves? That seems on the low side because of the inmense cost to put them in a road, cover them with a material transparent enough yet providing enough friction, the wiring (copper isn't exactly cheap at the moment) etc etc.
For just the base cost of materials of the panels themselves ... as I said above, ignoring the operation, installation, and maintenance costs.
The conclusion is pretty evident.
Rob Doar some people might say its worth it. But 10.7 million for 1 mile. Unless its a very high bridge over a very dangerous river I'd say its just a tad expensive.
They made a new one, which is called solaroad . It is generating more than 3000 kilowatts per hour
Just wanted you to know that we previewed this TH-cam Video at our Keller Williams Sales Meeting in Henderson, NV today and we were all in awe. What a fabulous idea! Please keep us updated, we'll all be watching in Las Vegas!
The best of luck to you guys and gals working on this project. The positive effects it could have on power, pollution, the economy, jobs and stimulating the production of off shoot technologies sound amazing. It's most probably will be that the great ideas that save the world will come from the individual not a corporation. It will undoubtedly take corporations to implement them, but the initial ingenuity will come from the little guy working out of his garage.
George Crabtree or just put a field of them they will be more efficient this way.
George Crabtree too bad its a scam
The Indigogo campaign for solar roadways is just a tax on people who failed high school Physics.
how would the road hold up to geological movement ? say mudslide, earthquake, etc.
it would break into pieces like a glass... oh wait
raggaresset Actually due to it's shape and how it's configured earthquakes would pass under it and not damage it. mudslides well there is no way of stopping that unless you build barriers to hold it up, plus if this goes through then they'll be a consistent job for years to come removing and replacing roadfs
The same thing you do with anything after an earthquake... fix it?
Good question!
***** Though what he is saying is ridiculous, the damage would not be any more pronounced than on roads today.
Someone explain to me how glass is better for quickly breaking when it rains/snows versus a normal road?
You'd be surprised at how strong glass can be, actually. My father's a glassworker, so I learned all about this growing up. Glass can be ridiculously strong, depending on the type you get. The kind my father uses...its fancy name is borosilicate...look it up. That stuff is so strong, you can drop a marble of it from a few meters up onto ceramic tile, and the ceramic tile will crack _long_ before the marble even chips. And these guys, clearly, are aiming for something even stronger than that. So using glass is actually a very promising idea. They just have to do it right is all.
Avi Hoshikage
ok so rain+cold...how do you solve this?
So they textured the glass up. They already thought of this; it's mentioned on their website that they put the panels through traction-testing systems, and actually had to back off on the roughness when it became too rough for the test-tires. *shrug* I've been around glassworkers my whole life; I know what it's capable of. You might not see it, but honestly, I can't think of a better material they could've used for both strength, traction, and clarity. Glass has a lot of potential...
Avi Hoshikage
Won't textured glass diffuse the light, thereby attenuating the photo collecting?
dLimboStick If I had to guess I guess by sheer volume of cells could make up for the lack of light collected per cell.
Best invention I've seen in a long time. Genius.
Genius! If these panels can withstand a beating over time, and are quickly replaceable, im all for it!
and you store the energy, how? and at what cost?
mnminnmn don't need to store it, you use it where you need it via the smart grid of the 21st century's technologies
alias mrstarmat what powers the road at night?
a storing capacity system wouldn't hurt if there is a surplus of energy produced during day, of course
alias mrstarmat What planet do you live on? I have work with modeling energy time series. They're extremely heavy tailed and exhibit complex serial dependence largely because energy storage is extremely costly. You have a right to your opinions but you dont have a right to your own facts.
axe863 This idea still sounds good if we dont store the energy and just intelligently route it back to the grid !
I hope he will live to see this happen. This is what we need.
So how are they going to work at night?
They wont, not without power from a power station or some form of storage, which they don't have.
*****
Then it is folly right there on that score alone. I can think of a few more as well... is this some sort of ponzi scheme?
Chuck norris
The actual, usable light generated from one of those panels is only capable of lighting itself, and that would be about less than 1/4 of the surface area. Additionally, the glass would be marred and glazed from wear in about a minute, and the light I mentioned above generated? That would be from direct sunlight- these tiles would be on the road and only able to get direct light during high noon... so how are they going to generate any light to store if it is raining, or snowing, or cloudy... and as for storage- it has been mentioned above already (read the comment thread) and even if they had storage facilities, it would cost more to run them than it costs to say, maybe put up a light pole and install a bulb... kind of like we do now.
Look- I am all for sustainable resources and renewable energy- when it works. I do not support folly and a scam that appeals to some sense of decency but accomplishes nothing but costing us all more.
The whole thing is just a stupid idea that sounds like it could be great.
When you get to the root of it, it's a solar powered torch, made of glass that you drive on.
Does that sound like a good idea to anyone?
If you are up to date on the solar technology you will find there are solar cells that can harvest light in the shade as well as moonlight.
Dear All who are working on this Idea... Congratulations for a marvelous Idea!! Also those worried about the negative comments... please care to realize the positive aspect of the negative comments... they are providing you with more risk factors to be considered, so that you can plan a better product by eliminating the real threats/ consequences/ anomalies/ blah blah blah... this will make your product realization more efficient and faster... please treat the negative comments as your valuable research inputs... all the best...........!!
Keep in mind, with Glass Roads comes an option of re-inventing the wheel, in this case specifically the Tires. Also, since Electric Cars are going to need to park on sides of the road, I think the option of plug-in Coin Operated Power Refueling Parking Meters should be considered with City-Model Panels. (Solar Trees would be a great pairing with this!)
One question, you have a masters degree in engineering and say you can store energy with solar panels? how ? the only way you can store electricity is with batteries, there is no other way to do it, even a 8 grd knows this. Srsly, people giving attention to this, don't have the slightest ideea how energy storage works.
+Radicalftw You can store in in a lot of mediums other than batteries. Capacitors, inductors, thermal (salt, oil, sand, etc.) or even gasses (hydrogen).
Can't wait to drive my flying car over the solar roadway!
For all of those who say "you can't" about the ideas of others who are trying to create real solutions for problems in this world, how about contributing positive thoughts and ideas to help these things become a reality.
We didn't start flying, we didn't start diving, we didn't go to space and reach the heavens by accepting "you can't".
Stop thinking about why something can't happen, and start thinking about how we can make it happen.
Congratulations, you're one of the idiots who will lose their money funding this idiotic idea... or worse, one of the idiots who will waste OTHER people's money.
This is inspirational, which is exactly what the world needs right now
I've always thought this should of been a no brainer to since for years! Awesome job guys!
Not a bright idea!
This would only work in areas that does not snow, rain hard, have falling leaves. Cities and towns that don’t need to have their streets swept by a street sweeper. Because during the winter season, cities use big trucks with a large blade to push the snow to the side. This blade would actually damage the top transparent layer. Also with the freezing water expanding, it would create pathways for water to get to the delicate circuitry and damage them. During the raining seasons, it would be more slippery. During the fall you have leaves that fall down. Those would block the LED’s from actually being read right. Also you got the big street sweepers that help keep city and town roads clean. So they would need to have a special one just for this type of road, otherwise the current sweeper they do have would damage them. Then you got city utilities access points such as manhole covers, water mains turn off points and so forth to also think about. Again this would only work in such an environment where it does not rain, snow, leaves, or dust.
The only way they can make this works is first to make transparent indestructible aluminum first!
It would literally be thousands of times cheaper AND generate far more power to place panels along the sides of the roads at an angle where they can directly face the Sun. If the millions of dollars they received for Solar Roadways had actually been invested in real solar panels to put on the sides of the roads, we'd actually have it done by now, and it would actually work.
I did do the research, the research. There product is still a piece of shit and not worth it weight if it was water. I already seen it in action. Just after a couple months, it has failing LED's. And those LED's can't be seen that far either. It just an oversize expensive disco floor.
And even if this would work its still cheaper to use panels on the roofs
@Jess Ter hmm so it failed 0.o
lol.. it wouldn't be better to put those solar panels by the road?
not enough surface area.
FroztByte Gamer what do you mean not enough surface area there are million of roofs that are mostly not covered by cars
luke france shadows casted by everything on top of the roads
plus you cant have a road thats made of something reflective like solarpanels without causing an accident
FroztByte Gamer no you said not enough surface to place them such there are million of roofs and you can make fields of them
FroztByte Gamer and I'm anti solar freaked roads so don't worry
yeah....try braking on wet glass.
Slick as ice!!
Can't wait for this prototype to become something we're actually using. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!
best video I've ever seen. You sir, win at life.
SOOOO MANY PROBLEMS!!
But the people supporting will remain gullible
I saw a unicorn fart an oil derivitive, etching fluid free solar panel once. It generated at 100% efficiency. It can happen! I saw it on the internets!
Well I am here to let all the sceptics know there is a new technology out there that will revolutionize this idea!
Above Road Solar Freakin' Roadways(TM), they managed to more then double the efficiency, bring the cost down to 1/10th and with incredible new glass development the vehicles driving past these panels will cause no damage!
Not to mention a new patent pending technology which can provide weather shielding for the road, it is truly technology of the future.
... you might also know it as regular freakin solar panels.
+MsSomeonenew That is total bullshit.
That is much better!!!!
+MsSomeonenew Wow these panels are now made out of diamonds?
+MsSomeonenew Bull fucking shit
I like the way you think MsSomeonenew, I was about post a couple of those thoughts myself. Not to mention street lights and road signs could be powered by SP and connected to the road, the road markings themselves could be lit and changed when necessary.
KONY 2012!!!! Save the Children.
I'm mean. Solar Roads 2014, Save the Planet!!!
This HAS to work. Good luck with this
Great congrats! This will chenge the world!
Elisabetta Errani Emaldi Why not go all the way in minimizing solar efficiency and put them under the asphalt? Onward to progress.
So many naysayers thinking they're professional engineers because of Google and Wikipedia, dear god.
This is a wonderful initiative and you should all support it.
Sexual Potatoes haha
Sexual Potatoes No. Us professional engineers also think its unworkable. Its WAY before its time and unlikely to ever be feasible with any foreseeable technology. You are wasting your money supporting this. BEng MASc PEng
flopticalcube A lot of professional engineers also think it IS workable. There will always be a divergence of opinions. I say let them try, if it's not feasible they it won't go anywhere, If it is and you're wrong, it can be something great.
There's no point in shooting things down like this before they go any further. You can be skeptical, but you have to admit you don't know the specifics details behind this technology, so you don't exactly have a really informed opinion.
I think we should support projects like this regardless. This inspires other people to do similar things and create good ideas that have good social impact.
Just saying "CAN'T BE DONE, THIS IS A BAD IDEA" does not help anyone in any way.
try it out using PRIVATE funding.
Sexual Potatoes No one else that I know in the field thinks its remotely feasible. Do you personally know a lot of EEs? The technology is well known. The math just does not work out. Its money for old rope. I'd prefer to support materials research rather than someone attempting the equivalent of space travel using chewing gum and paper clips. Complete waste of resources.
In the end you cannot escape the math no matter how much money you raise.
How am I supposed to ride on that when it rains?
so you've never driven in the rain?
brooklyn560 I did, but never on glass.
22Langstone Glass will get worn out fairly quickly and lose whatever traction it has. Not to mention constantly changing temperatures and heavy loads will eventually cause it to crack more easily than asphalt. Or the fact that it's immensely more expensive than regular asphalt concrete.
Here is a simple science experiment you can do at home. Rub some dirt and rocks against a window. And see how quickly you can scratch up the glass.
Now imagine thousands of cars driving over that glass, with dirt building up on these roads over time. And try to imagine how long it will take before that traction on the glass will wear out.
This is the worst idea I've encountered this year.
You guys have come along way in 9 years and it's almost works and will replace the old system exactly how the world needs it too. In time this will change the world, and it's almost there. -Th3 K1d.
Good luck Guys.Hope you succeed in implementing it and giving us fresh air to breathe.
Holy shit the comments defending this death/money trap are hilarious! Who in their right mind would fund this?
Lots of people here are trying to dispel an idea that has a lot of potential. Sure the technology has its problems in its current state( that is why its called a prototype), but its definitely a technology that people see the use in and is worth pursuing. If you look at the improvements in this technology over the last few years there have been remarkable improvements such as durability, cost of solar panels, energy storage, and not to mention a need for more sustainable technologies. So yeah maybe its not prefect yet, but don't attempt to hold back potential. Every technology has had hurdles when it has started, but through innovation those technologies have been remarkably useful. When the internet started many people thought it was futile, but time again it has had astounding benefits to society.
I like the idea. Progress needs money, but they should tout it as a technology in its infancy, and needed research and development, not as a finished product that is immediately available.
The prototype will die like a man alone on Mars. If this would even be close to possible, big companies would be buying solar roadways before you know it. Ooooh, wait nobody buy? nobody think gud? aaah yes terrible idea!
Hey wait, let me just quick invent something... errrrrm.... See through brick walls! Thanks to a special technology that i have not yet developed and cannot show, i can bring sunlight through a brick wall, without losing stability or my privacy.
Ryan Darling they have gotten a lot of money and support and still nothing not a single mile of this stuff
The problem is that this idea just cant work.
Amazing minds! Just do it! I wanna drive on it the LED way!
It would bankrupt the majority of the world and cause thousands upon thousands of deaths
That is even a better idea, much like a bumper car, being powered by the ceiling. I am loving this idea!!!
This is the best idea I have ever seen!
gtfo
I don't have autism you dumb piece of shit
You don't even know me
Chuck Stegall anyone who would refer to the solar roadways as the best idea ever clearly has autism.
If you don't shut up, I will make you drink a whole bottle of Carolina Reaper pepper sauce down your throat!
I'm amazed that a guy so smart and able to use science so well wears a cross around his neck.
He isn't able to use science well, this will not work. The far better idea is to put solar panels next to the roads. Why put them under car tires? Glass scratches, so these will lose sunlight as they scratch. I don't buy for a second these things could stand up to an emergence braking situation with a semi-truck. After the glass is worn smooth by all the grit that is ground into it by tires it will be slick as hell. They have wide straight groves in them, so there is no way I could ride my motorcycle on them. These will be massively expensive. I can go on and on.
WraithCommander42 OK, so lets put them next to the roads!
You mean like the man who first postulated the big bang theory? Or the man who is called the "Father of Genetics"? Or any of the other *thousands* of Christian scientists throughout history?
***** There's no such thing as a "Christian Scientist". There are scientists that happen to be Christians.
Qopel a man that is black = a black man. A scientist that is Christian = a Christian scientist so what is your point
It's funny, he states that his "roads" are solar. yet I didn't see one ducking solar panel...
These guys are fuckin geniuses. They are going to make so much money off this scam. They already have $2M in donations. I wish I would have thought of this.
Don't worry. There's still hope. Tell 'em Jesus sent you. Get free money from all the brainless gullible christurds.
I agree - that's a significant change. Hence the extensive testing, prototyping, etc. Proclaiming something unfeasible is a good way to assure that it never gets off the ground, and that won't get us very far. The challenges we face are tremendous; consequently, we need bold solutions that ask us to think outside of the box.
Yes, I think there's a fine line to be walked between creating something with robust features and making a product that is "passively survivable" - relatively simple and easy to maintain with many of the features embedded in the glass or surface itself. More secure and perhaps more modular for repairs.
So much money wasted on such a useless project.
Exactly
one of the dumbest ideas i have ever seen. i am still not sure if they are just extremely ignorant or just scammers.
God, it'd be funny if it weren't so sad. I watched the video then read through the first dozen comments. The majority of them consist of people trying to poke holes into the idea. What about traction? What about silver? What about flooding, potholes???
Isn't it possible - no, probable - that these issues have been addressed and a
traction
my main thought
yep, the science completely supports this... what if, what if, what if . . . if Edison stopped every time someone said WHAT IF something terrible is going to happen from a light bulb, we wouldn't have light bulbs....
wouldnt it be great if star trek was real, and we could just teleport everywhere!
Now sure there will be naysayers who pick little holes in that project, like saying 'yes, but thats not technologically possible'. /sarcasm
Put simply... hoping or wanting something to be true is not a good reason to believe something is possible.
This video is BS from almost the first sentence.... 'we are going to run out of asphalt'... this is just complete BS... asphalt is basically a waste product of the petroleum industry. Thats why its so cheap and thats why its used to make roads.
AND YES... the fact that glass is a lousy material to build roads out of IS important. It does not have the suitable traction properties when wet or dirty to be suitable for roads. Plus glass is a comparatively soft material. Dirt on the road and tyre action would probably render it opaque in about 1 day on a freeway.
***** Well in theory they did test for traction and other things. But you gotta take their for word for it.
The glass being rendered opaque is interesting thought. I would assume they would've tested for that before applying for a goverment contest?
The idea isn't bad anyway.
*****, I'm a huge fan of your videos, and very apprehensive to call you out, but isn't the petroleum industry going to come to an end some day, seeing as it relies on non-sustainable materials?
Also, if the roadways have met the government's traction requirements, then surely they must be safe?
wow.....!!!!!!
I LOVE THIS IDEA!
HOPEFULLY IN MY LIFETIME I'LL GET TO SEE THIS ACTUALY TAKE THE PLCE OF OUR ROADWAYS TODAY!
The beauty of this solution that it uses existing technologies. Each component exists and this is a convergence technology. All the obvious problems, cost, durability, glare, etc. are engineering problems with solutions. Scale, iteration, and prototyping can find and resolve all these concerns...just like any other engineering project. There is no need to cross fingers hoping for silver bullet technologies. We need to start solving our problems now instead of waiting around.
As long as it isn't a federal project it can be done right.
I see all these comments dissing something that is still in the prototype phase... really? Of course this seems like a bad idea, because we "haven't seen what it can do yet." So could we all just put the "hate" on hold until after we've seen what it can do? I mean isn't that the Grown up thing to do?
The grown up thing would be to see what actual scientists think about the project and study their arguments. I would love to see it work, but it won't... Watch thunderf00t's video for example. There are a lot more.
Arthur Bishop
I did watch his video, both of them, and the guy is just bashing it non stop. For all his talk on scientists and what not he doesn't tell me who he is, where he is finding his material, or which scientists have said this won't work.
On the first video he sounds so pretentious and arrogant that I had a hard enough time watching it and when he nears the end he flat out says that the people who invented it are idiots. I never heard where he got his degree in electronics or thermodynamics, all he did was look this stuff up on the internet, and we all know the internet can be "trusted."
Not to say he doesn't raise some points, I'm glad he used a real example with the LED lights, but that is the only example he used the rest where cut outs from other videos and pictures of power girds and the US Highway system.
Look, I don't mean to sound rude, I'm sorry if I came off like that, I just hate it when people don't give new things a new chance. If humanity didn't do that I wouldn't be driving to work with my own automobile, reading a book next to a lamp, and typing this on my personal computer.
Shadow Walker
/watch?v=obS6TUVSZds
He explains how the math wont work.
Remember how they said that internet was just a phase and how that wouldn't happen? Time proved them wrong and perhaps it will again. :)
Joooowy How many bullshit inventions do you think didn't work in the end? A lot more than those who did work.
Listen, just because this idea has naysayers doesn't make this idea a legitimate one.
You are right. People did laugh at the Wright Brothers, they also doubted Galileo and Darwin, but guess what, people also laugh and doubt the guy who claimed vaccinations cause autism. Well people are laughing at that notion that vaccinations have a direct cause in autism, so therefor, there must be some merit to the people who claim that since people are doubting him.
People also laugh at clowns and those who fail thoroughly. Just because you are being laughed at, that does not make you a genius, you could be clown (or the other). There is even a higher probability of being the latter.
By the way, the guy who claimed vaccinations cause autism has already confessed to his fraud some time ago. Who still uses this as a credible source should be laughed at.
actually the autism-vaccination link is proven false, based on the fact that the original study was falsified. This is even something the man who 'performed' that study and experiment admitted to. He fudged those results and has since admitted to it. He has since regretted his decision. look it up.
But yeah I get your idea. People always laugh at the revolutionary, yet too-good-to-be-true-ideas.
The guy claiming vaccination has lost everything and admitted the findings of the study where made up.
If I had a lot of money, like several millions or more, I would give you so much money to support this project!
Insane idea, but i love it. Clean and awesome energy.
Wonder what power company will regulate this though.
Fantastic idea! Please let it become real as soon as possible :)
The glass they're developing for the task is surprisingly grippy! I've felt a couple samples. Felt more grippy than asphalt.
When I was in 8th grade, this was my exact research for science fair xD I'm happy to see people actually building it because it will honestly make this country 3x more efficient.
& just for the record: I'm an American, started doing hard labor at the age of 13 with my dad at his oil company, which is still a family business. Been an entrepreneur all my life. I have destroyed/repaired&built roads, hauled heavy equipment all over the country and have a good bit of engineering and electrical knowledge.
He actually raises a valid point, glass may be able to reach the strength of steel in certain situations but the grit in soil contains many componds such as aluminium oxide that are harder than both and will scratch the glass to some degree. Whether or not this will cause major problems is impossible to tell without doing tests.
I think it is crazy that so many people here dismiss the concept because of some perceived flaw. Of course the engineers have thought about problems surround weather conditions, dirt & grime, weight, cost and other problems that are incredibly obvious to everyone. Part of the engineering process is overcoming these challenges. Dismissing an idea because of a problem is a recipe for a life of failure. Will it work? Don't know. But I am glad someone is trying to change our world for the better.
This is amazing!
I support the idea 1000 percent
This is really exciting! I hope that it works from technical and economic perspectives. It would be fantastic if we had roadways that would alter drivers/ future driverless cars about pedestrians, cyclists, and other potential obstacles. As a current medical student/ future physician (and former engineer), I'd like to thank you for putting in the time and effort to develop these solutions for safer, more energy-efficient roads. I really hope that solar energy and storage technologies pan out for us!
But can I still drive beloved pickup ?
Great idea and it looks like the engineering is very doable...now I'd like to see a small working road with cost estimates if it was pushed out to commercial size usage.
You have my support
Brilliant idea!
Especially when it is raining, tyres will just stick to the road like... sticky things...not!
There are many, many problems they will run into with it's design that they will have to overcome. I'm sure they're aware and are working on a solution, much like they are working on the solutions to the problems they mentioned - Sunlight glare, ability to withstand a fully loaded semi hammering on the brakes, etc. This project has a lot to work through if it even wants to be installed on crosswalks, let alone highways.
This kind of Engineering and innovation is what we need to lead us to the future.
There are all sorts of techniques available to glass-makers. One way to add grip is to drizzle crushed glass on a slightly melted slab of glass-- just melted enough so that the crushed pieces stick to it but not so melted that it all gets smooth again. Pretty clever. There are other ways, too, but that's one that I've seen a sample for. It is super grippy.
It's stuff like this that makes me excited for the future and frustrated that forward thinkers are rarely listened to. There are so many great ideas out there that if the governments just thought 20 years ahead rather than what is going to be popular enough to get them reelected, then we could really change many of the current problems.
Vertical farming, city farming, green roof space and capturing human energy are all examples.
this idea is worth sharing!
No, it is not.
Duuuuuuuude I'm drying here. You just made my day.
This is brilliant! This is the type of shit I envisage people in the future driving on.. so cool
The problem with glass that I see right off, is that when its wet, things slip on it easily. The dimples don't really help as much as you would think. I've driven across this type of surface structure. There is a round-about with this type of surface that is dangerous when wet. I'm really curious to see one of these from the driver perspective on a bright day with the sun in front of you between 20 to 60 degrees above the horizon. Most city streets and main roads run north/south or east/west. That could be a problem. Also, how visible are those LED's on these panels from driver level around noon.
These would certainly be awesome at a parking area for a night club. Las Vegas streets would be that much more incredible at night. But what do they really look like in full sun? And again...from driver level.
Freakin seriously how has this not been implemented yet? I watched this like two years ago and thought it was the greatest idea I'd ever heard of.
Because it's a scam.
@@ShortArmOfGod genuinely curious, how far did you have to scroll to see this 10-year-old comment
This is an amazing application for solar pv. Heating the panels to avert snow is brilliant. One spec I'd like to see added is for flooding. I see this is grid-tied, does this prototype run independently as well? Great work!
You have a good point. I don't think the entire road will be lit up, only the lines on the road, which I think would probably give off a negligible amount of light.
What an ingenious idea!
This is great. Keep it up guys.
Sending data and power to homes and business through the road isa but optimistic. The shots of the kids playing makes me think that the initial installations should be at school cross walks and public parks. The pressure response would also make these panels a blast on the play ground.
Great idea! This is what we should be spending money on-- innovations like this that help EVERYONE EVERYWHERE.
Now take it one step further-- Electric cars with INDUCTIVE CHARGING. Remember bumper cars? Imagine a whole road that can power the cars traveling over it safely. Now you just jump on the highway and it doesn't matter how far you're driving-- the battery collects power from the road and charges as its driving...
GENIUS!
So where are the SFR now? it should be on every road by now?
I actually love this idea!! Save the planet one solar panel at a time!!
Are you a part of our homeowner's association Jerramy? :-) Just trying to get these people to agree to do anything to maintain our roadways has been a real eye opener. I think they enjoy fighting! Still, this is a great idea and I hope communities wiser than mine will get on board with it!
Awesome idea. another thing to consider is road maintenance, the snow might melt because of the heat generated from the concentrated solar cells, but will it gum up, or melt tires during the hot summer months? If this works, I would love to see the day when the ugly utility poles come down.
Yes, flat glass used for windows and windshields are slippery when wet. However, as they mentioned, there is higher, stronger grades of glass, and glass that can be textured to have the same traction as asphalt.
I'd support that fulltime. GO!
Nice documentary, I learned a lot to this video. I have a question, how's your life dealing with those solar thing today? Thanks.
They're finishing off the building of a second prototype.. a parking lot. They'll be unveiling that in 3 days time.
This project definitely has legs right now, despite being little known. Let's hope it gets a lot more publicity and becomes a reality rather than a little Idaho project.
Wow!!! They say the best ideas are the simplest ones. This is frikking awesome. Sure there are hurdles to jump, and the oil and energy companies will undoubtedly fight this PROGRESS with tooth and nail. But... What if it works? Which it already looks like it could. What if this could provides, power, jobs, sustainability??? Not to mention roads that look awesome at night. Etc etc etc. I'm a fan. I've watched all of the clips that I could find already. And I'm 100% behind the idea. Good luck to these guys. I can't wait to see those roads in my lifetime.
I think that initially solar sidewalks would be a great step in the right direction. When will they be available for production?
There are other problems mentioned before but I think the biggest obstacle is the labor costs. Asphalt roads are much simpler and still most of their cost is in the labor and equipment. Making them involves street paving vehicles that can form a 10 foot wide lane in one continuous motion without any one touching the street.
Have they thought of any methods to make the construction of these solar roads as efficient as possible? You'd need to come up with a new workflow, and possibly build new machines for the automation of building these roads. I really doubt that manual installations would be affordable on a large scale.
I need details for my project
Wow, what a great idea for billboard! Self powered!