# 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:** 8
**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 28, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/141 "2014-05-28T00:34:33Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Does civilization collapse when an asphalt maker goes bust? Asphalt is a generic commodity. There will always be someone selling it. That’s not necessarily so for solar road tiles. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/142 "2014-05-28T13:36:06Z")
There are restrictions for state agencies buying sole-source items, so as soon as other manufacturers come on line for the things you’re going to have a patchwork of differently sourced units in the roadway. I wonder what problems that will bring. ---
**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 28, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/143 "2014-05-28T14:58:41Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > 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? Yes, it’s impossible to construct any kind of complex system for the transmission of power over long distances. That’ why we don’t have a power grid right no … hey, wait a minute! ---
**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 28, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/144 "2014-05-28T15:49:54Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Yes, it’s impossible to construct any kind of complex system for the transmission of power over long distances. That’ why we don’t have a power grid right no … hey, wait a minute! Allow me to fix that: It’s impossible to construct any kind of complex system for the **creation and transmission of power over long distances that must also deliver acceptable driving characteristics and stand up to decades of pounding traffic.** There. No need to thank me. If we used power transmission lines to carry tramways, they wouldn’t be one tenth as reliable and wouldn’t last a fraction of their current lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/145 "2014-05-31T04:48:14Z")
They now have $1.7 million dollars. Indiegogo actually encouraged them to extend their campaign. Between this and Indiegogo’s funding of the TellSpec, I think their business practices are… shady. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/146 "2014-06-01T02:19:44Z")
I like the premise. What would it take to work? ---
**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:** [June 1, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/147 "2014-06-01T03:05:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So what kind of company would develop this tech and then **SQUIRREL…** I’m guessing it isn’t a manufacturing and distribution company doing the research. > [@levdrakon](#): > > Does civilization collapse when an asphalt maker goes bust? Asphalt doesn’t have proprietary connections. When a in-pavement LED lighted crosswalk maker goes out of business, the replacement parts become unavailable and as the units die they can’t be replaced. And those aren’t sharing data. These things aren’t just connected electrically, they’re talking to each other. Sure someone could reverse engineer parts, but road repair crews don’t do that. Road crews order parts. Oh, and you know what’s more irritating than companies going bust? Oh, we don’t make that kind any more. This new model is much more. . . oh. No. It doesn’t interconnect with the old systems. Why do you ask? > [@Yllaria](#): > > . . . 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. . . . And, oddly, I got [a report on it](http://blog.glowingplant.com/post/87352752297/may-progress-update) today. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/148 "2014-06-01T03:18:32Z")
In case anyone is under the impression that Indiegogo sufficiently (or even insufficiently) vets their campaigns: [Home Quantum Energy Generator](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/home-quantum-energy-generator) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/149 "2014-06-01T15:53:20Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > In case anyone is under the impression that Indiegogo sufficiently (or even insufficiently) vets their campaigns: [Home Quantum Energy Generator](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/home-quantum-energy-generator) I’ll take eight! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/150 "2014-06-01T23:02:17Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Speaking of the half-assed, brokered, leased arrangements - apparently a lot of homeowners who entered into those are finding that it seriously interferes with their ability to sell their houses, since the lessee places a lien on the house which has to be cleared before the house is sold. Anybody know how much it takes to buy and install enough solar panels to provide full power to a house in the central valley of California? [Yes I know that it has to be hooked up to the grid for overnight _or_ have a bank of batteries, I am just curious about the cost of the number of panels to provide 100% of the energy during daylight hours that would be used in the full 24 hours. One guesses that one would be pulling the night time juice from the grid, so during the day 150% or whatever would be the actual amount generated to allow for pulling from the grid at night. I tried rummaging around on one of those lease a solar roof companies, but all you can get is an appointment for them to come out to the house and give you a quote. I just want to know how much it would cost to pave a roof with enough solar for the average house with appliances and air conditioning, not get a quote for a house I don’t actually have…] ---
**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:** [June 1, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/151 "2014-06-01T23:16:52Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Anybody know how much it takes to buy and install enough solar panels to provide full power to a house in the central valley of California? On a typical Sacramento summer day? About two of those ones Radio Shack sells for science experiments. :rolleyes: Here? You’d need to own several houses in a row to have enough roof acreage get enough power to run a bathroom fan. ---
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/152 "2014-06-02T03:13:17Z")
In my burg, I’ll settle for just a few potholes being filled before the rainy season. No way will they EVER have enough money to squander on something like this. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/153 "2014-06-02T08:06:15Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > And those aren’t sharing data. These things aren’t just connected electrically, they’re talking to each other. Oh, the [IoT](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things) ---
**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:** [June 2, 2014, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/154 "2014-06-02T08:30:07Z")
Despite any misgivings I may have, I have to admit that the solar roadway idea is somewhat more practical than my plans to harvest static electricity by covering the roads in shag carpet and dragging balloons behind all the vehicles. OTOH, in my view the backers are entirely overlooking the vast potential of electric-eel farms as a renewable power source. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/155 "2014-06-02T08:50:45Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Despite any misgivings I may have, I have to admit that the solar roadway idea is somewhat more practical than my plans to harvest static electricity by covering the roads in shag carpet and dragging balloons behind all the vehicles. > > OTOH, in my view the backers are entirely overlooking the vast potential of electric-eel farms as a renewable power source. I figured we could just bury infamous people with magnets in their pockets, and wrap their coffins in wire connected to the grid. Every time someone insults them and they turn over in their grave, profit. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/156 "2014-06-02T09:14:31Z")
Thunderf00t has posted a 28 minute rebuttal here: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/H901KdXgHs4/hqdefault.jpg "Solar FREAKIN Roadways, are they real?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H901KdXgHs4) ---
**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:** [June 2, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/157 "2014-06-02T11:06:04Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > …28 minute rebuttal… TL;WW. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/158 "2014-06-02T17:13:11Z")
[quote=“coremelt, post:156, topic:689129”] Thunderf00t has posted a 28 minute rebuttal here: [/QUOTE] Thunderf00t does a good job, basically summarizing all the same points made in this thread, plus a few more. I like how some of the YouTube commenters are now accusing him of being a corporate stooge. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/159 "2014-06-10T13:30:13Z")
They’ve made a rebuttal: [http://www.solarroadways.com/clearingthefreakinair.shtml](http://www.solarroadways.com/clearingthefreakinair.shtml) I think they’re referring to the video above. ---
**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:** [June 10, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129/160 "2014-06-10T14:00:31Z")
Frankly, if they can’t make a convincing rebuttal in 4-500 words and/or about 3 minutes of video, it’s telling. Not a matter of getting into technical specifics or financial detail; it’s a matter of answering about five basic questions with points more convincing than “WOW!” “You’ll see!” “Give us money…” or “We’ve impressed some Important people.” Facts, not misdirection and hand-waving, that is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-freakin-roadways/689129.md?page=9)