The Solar Arch: Keeping Roads Cool and Lighted

[Marco925]

[citation][nom]ikoliss[/nom]its not a bad idea..but in the winter when it snows, how will this be of any use?or when there is enough bird poop to cover the the entire panels[/citation]

Like Clintionio says, the people who clean it will be:

[citation][nom]Clintonio[/nom]The same kind of guys we pay to repaint our bridges. It'll be far more worth it too![/citation]

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]sublifer[/nom]Too many of these might also keep solar powered cars from working.[/citation]You know, because there are so many on the road right now. /s

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]rtfm[/nom]How many years of sunlight would it take to recoup all the energy used to build those things (and lay the cables to connect them to the grid)?[/citation]Your joking right? How much energy has been spent making ANYTHING that relies on pure electricity powered by coal burning power plants? The point is to start NOW, not 15 years down the road.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]sliem[/nom]How and who will they clean these from bird poops?[/citation]Automatic window wiping elements... a.k.a windshield washers? It would have to be track based and swipe perpendicular as opposed to the swipe commonly found on cars. It would work, for sure. They would just need to be maintained with fluid, or hook up water to them.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]maloney[/nom]I was more impressed with the solution I read about somewhere where the solar panels would replace asphalt (with a clear protective layer between vehicles and the panels). No worries about an endless tunnel of solar panels on that idea.[/citation]Until is snows and plow trucks come through and tear the hell out of them. Thoughtful idea though. UNLESS, they produced heat and melted the snow!!!

 

[opmopadop]

Has anyone thought of the annoying noise that will happen from driving past these pillars? My mate (with his Sandman + hotdog) is going to have the time of his life!!! VROOOO...OOO...OOO...OOO...OOO...

You get the idea x 1 hour

 

[m-manla]

This will be interesting.

 

[Hunter844]

The added heat onto the solar cells of having these things all over places like Arizona would also greatly hurt their effectiveness. I still like the idea from a stand point of having solar farms over already utilized space and it doesn't take up other undeveloped land or land designated for farming. Windmills in a lot of places are probably still the way to go...for that matter you could add a few of those into this design.

 

[bachok83]

in some countries, they plant trees to cover the roads.. i guess solar panels would do as well..

 

[garyshome]

stop and plug in your cell phone er car for a recharge.

 

[klavis]

Umm...how about we fix the roads in the US before we think about spending more money on something that will just need to be fixed with the money they aren't putting forward to fix the already broken down infrastructure?

 

[anamaniac]

Fcal matter from avians is no problem. It charges super cells below the grow and discharges a high frequency high energy pulse to destroy any avians that come within 5 metres.

Anybody else want fricken lasers on the bridge?

 

[gfair]

Forget rural roads, put cooling, solar roofs over California freeways. On hot summer days between 4PM to 7 PM they would be fantastic. Cool everyone off.

 

[andybird123]

[citation][nom]ikoliss[/nom]its not a bad idea..but in the winter when it snows, how will this be of any use?[/citation]

did you miss the bit where this is for places that are really hot and sunny - as in places where it NEVER snows

you americans are so provincial

 

[zodiacfml]

looks stupid at first but i think designer is intending to use the existing road for ease of creating and then maintaining the solar panel installations but his design is very costly and inefficient.
i don't see any practical purpose for cooling the road.

why not install solar panels on just one side of the road using the same parts of most solar installations.

 

[unrealpinky]

Until solar panels reach above 50% efficiency, I just don't see this being cost effective for the Federal or State governments to adopt and pay for. At best right now you get about 17% that is affordable with 40% doable but extremely complicated and expensive.

 

[Guest]

i'm sorry but wouldn't it be much more easier to install by the roads (2 lanes, rural, don't know how you call them in US) the most ingenious solar panels ever built, perfectly designed for the job by the best architect, nature, in billions of years of evolution? that would be trees. they cool down the roads by the shaddow they create, they absorb CO2 and release O2 they clearly convert solar energy into storable energy (wood), they provide shelter for a lot of creatures helping thus the environment and they also make a very nice view. most of them resist a car crash too...
just a thought...

 

[Hunter844]

[citation][nom]nea_sorin[/nom]i'm sorry but wouldn't it be much more easier to install by the roads (2 lanes, rural, don't know how you call them in US) the most ingenious solar panels ever built, perfectly designed for the job by the best architect, nature, in billions of years of evolution? that would be trees. they cool down the roads by the shaddow they create, they absorb CO2 and release O2 they clearly convert solar energy into storable energy (wood), they provide shelter for a lot of creatures helping thus the environment and they also make a very nice view. most of them resist a car crash too... just a thought...[/citation]
What would really be cool is if someone could design a tree that had solar panel leafs. Think about it.

 

[Hilarion]

There are a lot worse things lining/covering our roads. This is a pretty good idea, I think.

 

[Silmarunya]

[citation][nom]nea_sorin[/nom]i'm sorry but wouldn't it be much more easier to install by the roads (2 lanes, rural, don't know how you call them in US) the most ingenious solar panels ever built, perfectly designed for the job by the best architect, nature, in billions of years of evolution? that would be trees. they cool down the roads by the shaddow they create, they absorb CO2 and release O2 they clearly convert solar energy into storable energy (wood), they provide shelter for a lot of creatures helping thus the environment and they also make a very nice view. most of them resist a car crash too... just a thought...[/citation]

It helps against heat, noise and produces O2. So far so good. But they don't provide clean energy for two reasons:

1) Even fast growing species like poplar take years to regrow, years in which there is no cooling, CO2 absorbtion or noise reduction. So cutting the wood for energy is pointless.

2) By burning the wood, an amount of CO2 is released that is nearly equal to the amount a tree absorbs during its life.

Solar panels actually produce energy and do it in a clean way to make things even better.