Solar Roadways! Must watch! This is FREAKING awesome.

[MoHasanie]

superchunk said:

vivster said:

And there is the problem. 10 years alone is massive from a technological standpoint. Those panels will already be outdated by the time they finish 10% of the work.

The price for these will first go down and then up rapidly after we exhausted our rare earths to build the technology. Roads will be destroyed and pilfered for materials.

Then there are the insurmountable maintenance costs. Someone has to keep those panels clean around the clock or you can already forget the solar panels in them. If they're damaged they will need to be replaced. The networks have to be maintenanced as well. Not only the cost to build network infrastructure for thesee things will be gigantic but someone will have to develop, update and maintain the management programs.

Costs alone for security will be gigantic. Lives are on the line with these things so they're extremely sensitive applications. To build and maintain network security will take a lot of effort. But it will probably not stop attackers from abusing them.

It sounds all well but you can see that these things were developed by an engineer rather than an informatician.

Its a closed network. No real security issue.

Its a fully connected system. Every square meter doesn't have to be clean for the whole system to work.

Its likely that once mass produced this will cost about the same as typical tar pavement. So the cost is negligable in comparison. 

The tech involed is not super high-end and thus its not a legitimate item to steal. Additionally, if it can stand constant driving of all sizes, then its pretty damn indestructable. Doesn't soud like you realy need to worry about people stealing it.

Really think about it. You have very low-end computer tech, crazy cheap LEDs, created with 100% recycled plastics, and likley low-end solar panels as the idea is quantity over quality.

Its this idea that is high-end awesome. Not the tech. No real value for theft.

There is really no security concerns. It should create and send energy blindly. Its not connected to any type of network that doesn't already exist for electricy circulation. It won't create any driving issues that are not already easily tampered with in current system.

Every day in every major city there are crews repaving highways. 

First phase should literally just focus on replacing our big-box/mall retail and mass parking areas along with all major interstates. That would take <10yrs and immediately provide massive returns in energy as well as its arguable that these would require less maintenance than typical pavement. 

Benefits on this plan:

 

• Major advancement in % of energy coming from solar (too many benefits to fit here)
• Parking lots become safer (LEDs) and configurable as needed. Also great test cases for implementations.
• Interstate corridors become fully aware of traffic levels to better corrispond to issues. Including speed enforcement, etc.
• Interstate corridors also become simple pathway for fully connecting country with higher end network capabilities (fiber optic) and allow removal of intercity power lines freeing up land and simplifying national electric grids.
• Lays ground work for intra-state pathways and upgrades.
• Once complete, country is fully interconnected and dramatically lowers effects from natural disasters as grid is more robust.

There are likley I'm missing, but I don't think there is any real reason to not fund this idea and technology.

 

There must be something wrong with this though, otherwise governments would be more enthusiastic about this and scientists would support it much more. 
Also, can this work in all weather condiitons? Would it become dangerous to drive on when its raining or snowing?