this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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interestingasfuck
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interestingasfuck
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What's above modern road? Silicon?
There's a company in Sandpoint, ID that is developing solar panels made from glass to replace asphalt. It's still in fairly early development, but it's an interesting idea.
It's been tried and failed before
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/solar-roadways-engineering-failure
Doesn't work. Keep the solar panels on roofs and over canals where they can get sun. Keep the roads simple stone so they are durable and cheap.
EEVBlog did the math about the thing and with our current (and predicted) tech it's rubbish. There just isn't enough power from it to gain much even if roads cover a lots of square meters and durability of currently available panels just isn't there. It's just bloody expensive road with miniscule amounts of power in exchange.
never mind the whole "putting solar panels underneath cars that block the light" thing, what i want to know is why people think it's a good idea to use glass for roads?