Stefan H
If you haven’t seen the video yet, click here. I saw one of my friends on Facebook enthusiastic posting this on his page saying how good this would be to generate green energy. And it sounds quite good, replacing all the asphalt roadways with these hexagonal energy panels that harvest energy from the sun and can even make road signs on the way or melt ice when there is snow. It sums up all kind of points that the solar roadways will solve (5:22): love biking, hate high energy bills, worried about the economy, love sports, scared of hitting moose, hate gasoline prices, helping developing countries, hate tar views, love recycling, hate winter roadways, hate shuffling snow, love clean air, need a job, wane save this planet and make it sustainable for your kids: SOLAR ROADWAYS!
When is watched this video (also saw it earlier this year) something didn’t felt right. If the current technology for solar panels on roofs (with a better angle and without cars driving over it) can just make it profitable, how can this ever work? The video plays with your emotion and with some idea's people like, but what they are claiming is nearly impossible.
I was glad some people already replied to my friend on Facebook that it’s not quite true what they claim. Just by simple basic calculations Dave of EVVblog shows this. Click. Also fun to watch is second part about solar roadways and is also about the lately finished 70 meter solar cycle path in Amsterdam. See here.
What I want to share is that we as engineers, designers or scientist always have to be critical and not accept what’s said if there is a nice video and someone with a master degree. We must always use are common sense and calculate. Maybe you would say, of course that speaks for itself. I hope we, including me, will also DO it.