Solar Roadways! Must watch! This is FREAKING awesome.

[SvennoJ]

deskpro2k3 said:

SvennoJ said:

Last time I checked it would take me more than 25 years to get my initial investment back when installing solar panels on the roof, at which time the roof would need to be redone already. It should be better now with subsidies and cheaper panels, yet how long do they last and what about winter damage. These tiles look a lot more expensive than a simple solar panel.

If it's going to cost 50,000 dollars just to do a simple driveway, cost is definitely an issue.

Anyway I'm still waiting for solar panels to become feasible, sucks my roof is facing east and west, kinda need to rotate the house 90 degrees.

They're made from recycled materials, and over time they get cheaper. For instance, remember when cell phones were for rich people? How about that time when a computer took up a whole room.

How about flying cars, or segways for everyone. Some ideas don't become efficient enough. By the time this might become efficient enough nuclear fusion could be widespread. Solar power that works 24/7.

The big problem of all these solar solutions is, that unless you have a worldwide elictricity grid (though transporting electricity is very inefficient) you need a storage solution alongside, as most people use their electricity early morning and evening. You can deliver it back into the grid during the day for the low rate, then buy it back in the evening at peak rate. Ineffcient and only shifting the underlying problem. You still rely on coal and nuclear at night. Those plants will need to be powered up and down more and more depending on sunshine, adding to wear and tear and inefficiencies.
You can fill your basement with batteries, expensive, inefficient, dangerous, not environmentally friendly.

Recycled materials still aren't free. Construction isn't environmentally friendly, how much energy do you need to build enough of those tiles to have a significant impact. I don't see cars fitted with solar cells on hoods and roofs. It's just not worth it. Well Ford is trying, you have to park under a Frensnal lens though, and after a day of charging you might make it 20 miles.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/173863-fords-new-solar-powered-hybrid-car-can-charge-up-without-plugging-in
Still sounds like a more efficient solution than paving your driveway with those blocks, a plastic canopy above the driveway to collect sunlight. Just don't let your kids play underneath :)

Btw we had a Hybrid for 5 years. Loved it, but had to trade it in because it was too small with 2 kids. Even with the excellent trade in value thanks to it gaining popularity, plus $1500 subsidy from the government when we bought it, and doing double the mileage of our new car (ie during summer, less efficient in winter), we still lost money on it compared to a conventional car. Plus it didn't have the power to get out in the snow, and pretty cold to drive in the winter. Electric cars are not practical in Canada.

A couple solar panels on the roof won't hurt to help out with air conditioning though. Hot sunny day, come home to a nice cool house at no extra cost.