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SolarEagle
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Solar Road a Total Flop

08/17/2019 10:11 AM

From this....

...To this...

...In just 2 years....$5.2 million lost plus clean-up and replacement, an expensive stretch of road .6 of a mile long...

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-world-s-first-solar-road-has-turned-out-to-be-a-disappointing-failure

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Rixter
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#1

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/17/2019 10:50 AM

Too bad they didn't read CR4. We already decided here a long time ago that driving on a solar panel wasn't the best idea.

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SolarEagle
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#2
In reply to #1

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/17/2019 11:00 AM

Right you are, we could have saved them a fortune....

A 1% consultant fee doesn't seem too much to ask.....

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JE in Chicago
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#3
In reply to #2

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/17/2019 11:03 AM

The cr4 focus group available.

Reasonable rates.

No homework.

...

But yeah.. destination? Failure

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Randall
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#4

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/17/2019 12:46 PM

Even if they could make the panels robust enough: I don't think they'd be much use on UK roads:-

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PWSlack
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#11
In reply to #4

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/19/2019 5:54 AM

It would be surprising if they withstood the weight of all the traffic cones, quite frankly, never mind the traffic....

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Kilowatt0
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#5

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/17/2019 2:21 PM

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tonyhemet
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#6

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/18/2019 1:47 AM

It's not that big of a flop. At least now, they know what doesn't work.

On the other hand, if it wasn't for pork barrel projects like this, half the world would be out of work.
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JE in Chicago
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#7
In reply to #6

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/18/2019 6:41 AM

We knew it didn't work.

Screw that logic and save the taxpayers for a change.

If they canceled the program early on and cited cr4 as a reason. I would applaud.

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jack of all trades
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#8
In reply to #6

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/18/2019 3:43 PM

Agreed, sometimes you have to try small scale in the real world before you can put a bad idea to rest.

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tonyhemet
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#9
In reply to #8

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/18/2019 6:40 PM

We should start a cr4 forum. You guy provide the technical details and I'll provide the sarcasm.

Let's ask the moderators. The only one I know of is hush. Because of a recent posting on the english language, I'm not exactly sure how to pronounce the pronunciation of his name, ( hush like rush, hush like wash, hush like chute.

Moderators ?
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SolarEagle
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#10
In reply to #9

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/18/2019 6:51 PM

The Cr4 forum is the "Breakroom".. and the name of 'H u s h' is never uttered, so no need for pronunciation....

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setlock77
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#21
In reply to #8

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/26/2019 8:26 AM

Jumping off the empire state building to "see if you could survive the fall" is a common sense ridiculous idea. Jumping two stories to give it a small scale try is not needed... we all know what will happen.

I think it would have been quite obvious that this was a dumb idea but there was a professor or a business man (or brother of the politician) that wanted to become rich on "green money" and found some stupid bureaucrat to fund it. OR.. and most likely the true reason is the kickback that goes into the bureaucrat's pocket. It's these projects that make a politician who makes a modest paycheck going into an office, comes out a millionaire.
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micahd02
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#22
In reply to #21

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/26/2019 10:25 AM

So true! And a GA from me!

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JPOWERS
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#12

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/19/2019 7:43 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g79K-R7xTFo

not sure what the point is of criticizing this

...

This company's doing it on bikepaths, too

https://www.solaroad.nl/press/

Probably putting them above the road is a better idea for now. But I don't understand the denial of testing based on "it doesn't work now"...
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SolarEagle
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#13
In reply to #12

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/19/2019 9:19 AM

https://cr4.globalspec.com/search/cr4search?query=solar+road&newSearch=new

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Brave Sir Robin
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#14
In reply to #12

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/19/2019 12:35 PM

The disappointing thing about this test is that many people across a diverse engineering spectrum could easily see a multitude of reasons why this concept shouldn't have even been considered. What sort of groupthink pushes this through the conceptual and design phases while ignoring common sense? This concept should never have gone any further than the back of the cocktail napkin.
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jack of all trades
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#16
In reply to #14

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/19/2019 3:30 PM

Very persuasive people with persuasive but misleading product marketing. Free energy scammers do it all the time.

A case of the magician saying look over here at what I am showing you with this hand, not the facts and real world practicalities that are being covered up by my other hand.

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Tornado
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#17
In reply to #12

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/20/2019 3:53 AM

This idea was never criticized on the basis that it doesn't work now. Instead, it was criticized on the basis that it was so wretchedly silly that it would never work, no matter what. As has been borne out.

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Brave Sir Robin
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#18
In reply to #17

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/21/2019 4:16 PM

I have to wonder whether any small scale tests were performed where maybe two panels were installed in a section of roadway to see if the basic design would hold up to normal traffic before spending the money on a kilometer of panels?
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micahd02
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#19
In reply to #18

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/22/2019 8:55 AM

I doubt I doubt it seriously! The people who push for these kinds of things almost never want to see what science might actually say about their pet projects! Too much money involved, and too little sense!

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jack of all trades
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#20
In reply to #18

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/22/2019 4:12 PM

I thought they actually did this, but only a few panels. It may have just been a show of concept for the media rather than an actual small scale test thou.

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Jpfalt
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#23
In reply to #18

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/26/2019 11:43 AM

You have to realize that to the "Big Picture Guys", this WAS a small scale test and if you can't sink at least a million into it, then it is not a significant test.
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Brave Sir Robin
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#24
In reply to #23

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/26/2019 4:47 PM

Sadly, I believe you are right.
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ameri180304
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#15

Re: Solar Road a Total Flop

08/19/2019 3:11 PM

CR4 Admin: Spam: This post was deleted because it contained advertising outside the Commercial Space forum. Please review Section 14 of the Site FAQ about advertising.
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ameri180304 (1); Brave Sir Robin (3); jack of all trades (3); JE in Chicago (2); Jpfalt (1); JPOWERS (1); Kilowatt0 (1); micahd02 (2); PWSlack (1); Randall (1); Rixter (1); setlock77 (1); SolarEagle (3); tonyhemet (2); Tornado (1)

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