Solar Roadways Drive Forward

I agree. PV Panels on a roof are far, far cheaper and easier to manufacture and yet that panacea has never happened.

Even in Germany, where they were heavily subsidized, the end result has been underwhelming.

How could a more costly, ruggedized version be any different?

I think that a "Green hungry" US administration is willing to spend anything to get something that works, Solyndra's lessons be damned.

Might as well just burn hundred dollar bills in a boiler to generate power.

At least that way, after the installation is paid for, you can generate power at night, when it's cloudy, when it's raining/snowing. And who's going to keep those millions of square feet of panels free of oil, tire rubber, bird poo, dirt, dust, etc. etc. etc. etc.

Wait, let just put bright lights everywhere and we can generate power 24/7 with all the solar panels littering the landscape.

Might as well just burn hundred dollar bills in a boiler to generate power.

Whoa whoa whoa there, where's the carbon tax contribution! Better throw some twenties in there as well.

;)

_{The carbon tax - because people weren't stupid enough to pay a tax on air.}

It was an asinine concept in this thread, and nothing has changed. This is only meant to drain government funds, and make politicians look like they are doing something.

Let me add something that was not brought up in the last thread: Have you ever seen the solar installations for freeway signs, in any large metropolitan area like LA? A thief has to brave 4-5 lanes of high speed traffic, patrolled by police day and night, shimmy up a metal pole 15-20 feet, past not barbed wire - but constantine wire.

How are you going to keep these panels (even if they were useful) from getting stolen?

Yep, still S-T-O-O-O-O-O-P-I-D. We need to turn off taxpayer funded subsidies of these programs. All it does is breed waste and abuse by leaches looking to suck on the government teat.

Considering all the parking lots at ball fields, stadiums airport parking, etc why put solar cells on the ground to be driven over when they can easily be put on posts and act as a cover for the cars being parked or just there period without cars being parked. There are generally no trees to shade the cells and they can arranged for maximum solar exposure by the freedom of orientation during design of the parking lot. They would also act as rain umbrellas as people enter and exit their cars.

If embraced? Well if the power companies have any say in it it won't be. They are the biggest reason many have not applied solar to their homes. Causing this lack of interest in using solar to power homes in turn has kept solar panel prices high. In most places the power company require the solar connected between the grid and the meter. You get the savings per energy produced at whole sale rates. But anybody ever look at the bill and all the surcharges per Kw hour. How about the line usage surcharge. Why should any one have to pay surcharges for power they produce on lines they payed for?

If the government wants us to embrace solar. It would be best if the redefined what charges the power companies can charge. Or how solar can be applied to the home for the best saving for the home owner.

In spite of this so-called requirement to have any solar (or other renewable) power tied into the local power company grid, IF there is a completely separate system that uses power at times (work shop, etc.), then why not simply power that, or power completely separate heating/cooling systems that are not connected to the homes primary panel? Just install your own metering system (for your own benefit), your own breaker panel(s), etc., separate wiring (label coded of course). As long as this other system is maintained with NO interconnection of live and neutral (and ground), then there is nothing to go wrong (in reference to standard arguments against). I am still waiting for (1) 45% overall efficiency of conversion to be on the market, and (2) at a "reasonable" price, so there is not much danger of this taking place (still) at my house.