The Solar Arch: Keeping Roads Cool and Lighted

[rtfm]

[citation][nom]mlopinto2k1[/nom]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.[/citation]

My point was that there are better (more sensible) ways to use resources. Like the guy who suggested pipes under the ground to heat water. Or just putting solar panels on building roofs or even next to the road would be better, requiring less materials (therefore energy) to implement.

The only real viable solution for now is nuclear power, though it's not perfect, it is better than burning coal and will produce enough energy short term while we build new infrastructures, unlike renewables which at the moment cannot provide anywhere enough power.

 

[WheelsOfConfusion]

Another reason trees might not be ideal is that these panels seem to be proposed for areas that see a lot of sun, namely deserts. Water management is already a hot-button issue in the Southwest, I hate to think what would ensue if hundreds of miles of road were shaded by trees.

 

[lordarkon]

Or, how about instead of using these solar arches, we put our money into the solar roadways project? That way you wouldn't have to worry so much about blocking the view or how much harder it would be to get trucks to rise up to clean the elevated arches. They wouldn't block the view, and you wouldn't have to worry about snow problems with the self heated solar powered roads, plus we could run our communications wires though them rather than on telephone poles. We could have power and communications wherever we have roads.

 

[JonnyDough]

For this to be truly beneficial the panel would need to be able to travel from side to side to collect the most sunlight, up with the morning sun and down with the setting sun. When the sun is no longer available it moves itself to the morning position automatically once again. Ideally the side facing upward would not be convex (or concave for that matter) and would have a slightly reflective surface under the cells to send energy back into the cells because to absorb it would not only make the cell life shorter due to heat, but it would also be a waste of potential energy.