Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
'Solar freakin roadways' are a scam?
You can view an advertisement for a kickstarter/ indiegogo campaign about a new type of solar power on YouTube, called "Solar freakin' roadways". It concerns the replacement of all asphalt in America with hexagonal units that have about a 13.4 sq ft area each that have a solar cell covered in tempered glass with raised bumps. It's garnered quite a bit of attention and is becoming viral. People are excited about how they will create jobs, reduce oil dependence and protect the environment.
They're promising all sorts of ridiculous things like LED lights to make every street look like Tron, a water treatment system to process rainwater, pressure sensors to detect wildlife on roads, induction systems to charge electric cars while they're moving, and heating coils to keep the panels free of snow.
While this sounds cool and neat, all these features would place each unit at around $500 at least. So I've done some math, and assuming that each 13.4 sq ft panel only has about 9.3 sq ft of PV cells, and that the panels operate at 18.5% efficiency as advertised, and that the cost per megawatt in USD is about $114, a $500 unit would take TWENTY SIX YEARS to pay for itself. This is assuming that daytime is 12 hrs long and the sun is directly overhead during the day. This is also assuming that the cells do not use induction, heating, LED lights, or the central wireless network they're supposed to always be connected to, EVER.
Continued on additional details...
Also, the cell must not be stolen, crushed, broken, or malfunction once for 26 years or else the energy system is net negative and the LED lights (which are meant to replace road markings of all types) are invisible during the day.
So my question to you is, did the creator of Solar Roadways (who is an engineer) know it was unworkable? Does he really think it will work or is he going to trick the general public into funding his startup campaign, take the money, and never be heard from again?
4 Answers
- 7 years ago
You're assuming, also, that the cost of production will remain static over the course of the technology. As I'm sure you're aware, most (all?) new technology will become increasingly affordable to produce as time goes on and components become cheaper and more efficient. That's the inherent problem with doing cost projections out to 26 years...do you know that a year from now, or 5 years from now, these solar panels will continue at 18.5% efficiency? Or their cost will remain at $500? Even if we take the baseline figures that you've calculated, and assume that the first-gen panels will have to function at 26 years to pay for themselves, we still must factor in the costs that would be saved from surfacing and resurfacing a stretch of roadway every 2-4 years, depending on use. Perhaps the solar panel taken at face value and on a new stretch of highway will take 26 years of optimum use to pay for itself. A panel that is used to replace asphalt will have some inherent savings as long as its capable of holding up that long. If the panel lasts, let's say, 15 years under normal traffic, that's 15 years of upkeep on a normal road (resurfacing, painting, snow removal, etc) that won't have to be performed. So, the payoff, or break even point, if you will, occurs much faster.
I don't know if the guy doing the project is a crook or not. I checked out his site and the little sample parking area he has set up looks pretty sweet. I hope it's the real deal, but I'm not holding my breath.
- Anonymous7 years ago
challenging problem seek into bing and yahoo just that will help
