# Solar FREAKIN' Roadways! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 23, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129 "2014-05-23T22:11:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/121 "2014-05-27T01:47:40Z")
I, personally, was greatly amused by the video. Not enough to give anyone any money, mind. It’s all pretty pie-in-the-sky stuff. The only part of it that really sounded feasible was the programmable blacktop - I could see that application working with the technology as-is, at least as a novelty in high-end neighborhoods. The rest of the stuff… well, just because the couple who invented this stuff think it would be good road-building material doesn’t mean that’s the use it will eventually be put towards. There was talk upthread about roads versus roofs. The idea of combining programmable LEDs with solar panels might end up being a boost for the solar roof industry - imagine if your roof top solar panels could, with a flip of a switch, also be your Christmas lights. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/122 "2014-05-27T01:55:25Z")
I want to love this concept, but there are just too many problems to overcome (some of which I didn’t even think of before reading this thread) and probably much better alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/123 "2014-05-27T02:16:19Z")
They’re up to $1,307,987. It’s looking like that test parking lot is going to happen. It’ll be funny if they get $10,000,000. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/124 "2014-05-27T04:16:42Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Did the SD put these guys over the top? I could be wrong but I thought they had like $600,000 a couple of days ago. Now they are over their goal at $1,200,000. I think it was the news outlets like Popular Science. And George Takei. A few days ago it looked like they weren’t going to make it. I think they’re really going to try it. At least they aren’t going to take the money and run. They seem overly optimistic, but not scammy. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/125 "2014-05-27T05:47:46Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I like the “you don’t need to paint it, we’ll just program lights for lanes, signals, et cetera.” Yeah, that’ll be great the first time a controller has a kernel panic and several miles of roadway has a system fault. And seriously, concrete conduits running on both sides of every road for cable lays? Does the narrator have any idea of the ecological impact of laying that much concrete, or what it would take to keep those tunnels clear of water and debris during rainy seasons? > > Programmable, solar-powered roads are a neat concept, but until the technology is simple and robust enough to be laid down in bulk like macadam, it isn’t remotely feasible as anything but a novelty. > > Stranger You’re right! We can’t build programmable, solar-powered roads right now, so we shouldn’t conduct feasibility studies or probably even think about it! We should just keep right on doing what we’ve been doing … no harm can come of that! ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/126 "2014-05-27T05:55:49Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > You’re right! We can’t build programmable, solar-powered roads right now, so we shouldn’t conduct feasibility studies or probably even think about it! We should just keep right on doing what we’ve been doing … no harm can come of that! Oh, come off. Nobody is saying we shouldn’t do feasibility studies. What people are saying is that the grandiose claims can not possibly be implemented given the state of present tech. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/127 "2014-05-27T06:00:38Z")
> [@armedmonkey](#): > > Oh, come off. Nobody is saying we shouldn’t do feasibility studies. What people are saying is that the grandiose claims can not possibly be implemented given the state of present tech. Well tech changes. And the one thing we DO know is that we are going to have to adopt some new methods of generating and using energy that are not so unhealthy as the ones we use now (globalwarming-globalwarming-globalwarming). Now I’m all for looking at this idea critically, but really, we DON’T have an option to just stand pat, we KNOW that won’t work. We have to look hard at new ideas and make them work. And frankly, a new infrastructure of smart, solar-powered roadways could be JUST the massive, government-sponsored project that could get our economy out of the doldrums. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/128 "2014-05-27T06:50:50Z")
Ow, that video gave me an instant migraine. It’s like some unholy alliance of Richard Branson and Billy Mays. Nevertheless, I for one am happy that this appears likely to get a tryout with private, rather than public, financing. I don’t really think this will make a practical road material any time soon, but I could see some potential for areas of low impact (read: foot) traffic. The key, as someone mentioned, seems to be whether there’s a net energy gain; the small size of individual cells, and all the powered doodads they seem to want to add, that would be of most use during periods when the cells are not actually generating any power, makes this seem unlikely. Still, it’s worth a test, at least as a niche product. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/129 "2014-05-27T06:59:52Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > And frankly, a new infrastructure of smart, solar-powered roadways could be JUST the massive, government-sponsored project that could get our economy out of the doldrums. No it won’t, and I’ll tell you why. These things, as described, would be an energy debt. I am not talking about dollars,I am talking about Watts. Average Earth surface collects about 160 Watts per square meter over a 24 hour period. The best photo voltaic cells we have now can’t even harness half that. 80 Watts per square meter of roadway, _per day_ (which this design will never get) is probably going to have a hard time generating enough power to offset the power needed to run the roadway… as the roadway is described. I’m not against solar, but as I was the first one to mention it in this thread, I’ll mention it again. Roofs. Solar roadways are a ridiculous idea. Solar roofs are not. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/130 "2014-05-27T07:36:59Z")
> **[Solar Roadways](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways)** > > Solar panels that you can drive, park and walk on. They melt snow & cut greenhouse gases by 75% ?!!! | Check out 'Solar Roadways' on Indiegogo. BTW most of the merchandise says “Solar Roadways - A Real Solution”. So there you go… it’s “real”. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/131 "2014-05-27T08:55:57Z")
BTW, although the video proposes that the roadway will have programmable lighting for safety signage and whatnot, you just know it will eventually be used for this sort of thing: Well I’ll be danged It’s a solar cell mounted in the road so we can sell Burma-Shave ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/132 "2014-05-27T14:54:15Z")
> [@armedmonkey](#): > > Average Earth surface collects about 160 Watts per square meter over a 24 hour period. The best photo voltaic cells we have now can’t even harness half that. 80 Watts per square meter of roadway, _per day_ (which this design will never get) is probably going to have a hard time generating enough power to offset the power needed to run the roadway… as the roadway is described. Watts is per second. So 80W means average power, per second. That’s enough to run a microprocessor and LEDs, though I’m not in any way going to defend the feasibility of the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/133 "2014-05-27T14:57:29Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Great idea for a Kickstarter swindle. > > If it doesn’t step too much outside the boundaries of this thread, can we list how it makes a good Kickstarter swindle? I’ll start: > > 1. It’s environmental. > 2. It can be spun as providing lots of jobs. > 3. It uses technology > 4. It would change the look of something that’s rather pedestrian-looking and make it shiny and sciency. > 5. It makes it look like there is an easy solution that’s been right underneath our nose this whole time and now we’ve realized we can do something about it. > > Any of this sound true? Perhaps a different formulation would be more accurate or insightful? What else is there? Well, it doesn’t include any schoolgirl or nazi [hentai](http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4-reasons-this-one-kickstarter-proves-humanity-doomed/). But I guess it’s just a matter of getting enough LEDs for a watchable resolution. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/134 "2014-05-27T15:20:25Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > You’re right! We can’t build programmable, solar-powered roads right now, so we shouldn’t conduct feasibility studies or probably even think about it! We should just keep right on doing what we’ve been doing … no harm can come of that! Eh, as I said before it sounds like a nice, feel-good, high tech lookin’ option for business park courtyards and things like that. Eliminate most of the road surface concerns (even in a parking lot at least you’re not closing down a highway to mess with it), looks all fancy and futuristic with lit up arrows in the courtyard pointing to the E Building and dancing snowflakes come Christmas time. Also sounds great in the company brochures about how environmentally friendly your building property is and how you care about the future. Tech building hard surfaces? Sure, have at it. Replacing I-80? Not really convinced yet. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/135 "2014-05-27T18:02:51Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Watts is per second. So 80W means average power, per second. That’s enough to run a microprocessor and LEDs, though I’m not in any way going to defend the feasibility of the idea. Right now each hexagonal plate is a 35W panel and once they go into production they’ll be 56W or something. The little parking lot they already made is 3600W I think. Sounds like enough to run LEDs. Don’t know what it takes to charge an EV. They’d like to eventually add some sort of piezoelectric system to it too. ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/136 "2014-05-27T18:47:31Z")
I want a solar powered electric heater to melt the snow/ice from my driveway. Of course, when it’s needed the most, … it would be … under a foot of snow. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/137 "2014-05-27T20:17:11Z")
How much light will penetrate a foot of snow? Had to google. Loved the phrase “spectral irradiance decreases exponentially with depth with a decay constant called the asymptotic flux extinction coefficient.” According to measurements taken in 1970, about 10% of the light will get through an inch of snow. From more recent tests: “three percent of light can penetrate to a depth of 20 cm.” A foot is a bit over 30 cm, and it looks like it’s down to 1% about there. Maybe if it could keep up with the snow as it fell, it could keep clear. If you get a foot dropped overnight, maybe not. > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > . . . Next up: solar, um… trees! That was a Kickstarter. Truly. It funded and now the group is working to create trees with glow in the dark genes as a first step in trees taking the place of streetlights. There were no smarmy videos and no promises beyond “splicing these genes has gotten to be pretty off the shelf, now, let’s see how much light we can get a tree to make.” Another company is doing the actual splicing. It’s going to take years. If they get it to work at all, I may get seeds for a glowing houseplant. > [@davidm](#): > > . . . I suppose that they could try to steal them. They claim to have an answer to that. [http://www.solarroadways.com/faq.shtml#faqTheft](http://www.solarroadways.com/faq.shtml#faqTheft) That answer is: > [@](#): > > the stolen panel would continue communicating with all of the other panels in the road. The road would know exactly where it was and how fast it was moving, making the criminal a sitting duck for law enforcement. Could this be foiled by: 1) driving overland away from the road, 2) driving to the nearest exit and then away from the road, 3) transporting them in a Faraday Cage, 4) putting them into a steel box, 5) figuring out where the communication came from and poking that with an ice pick . . . ? These kind of remind me of flashing crosswalk lights, which was much lower tech and which everyone wanted as soon as they saw their first one. The city has switched to rapid flashing beacon signs on both ends of the crosswalk because the companies producing the in-street flashing lights keep going out of business. It’s hard to order replacement units when the company’s gone. And the units will stop working eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/138 "2014-05-27T20:46:30Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > These kind of remind me of flashing crosswalk lights, which was much lower tech and which everyone wanted as soon as they saw their first one. The city has switched to rapid flashing beacon signs on both ends of the crosswalk because the companies producing the in-street flashing lights keep going out of business. It’s hard to order replacement units when the company’s gone. And the units will stop working eventually. So what kind of company would develop this tech and then **SQUIRREL…** ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/139 "2014-05-27T22:33:25Z")
That’s a very good point. What happens if the company goes bankrupt at some point. Will the highways slowly degrade with more and more dark spots as units fail over time and can’t be replaced? Will we end up eventually blacktopping over them? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/140 "2014-05-27T22:44:26Z")
Does civilization collapse when an asphalt maker goes bust? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129.md?page=8)