[Akimoto]

This. This can save our planet. This can save lives. This can remove snow. This is programmable. This is awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU

[MasterM]

I had seen something about this, but I forget where. It looks pretty awesome

[Echovald]

awesome idea

[Aventador]

We need this everywhere

[Key]

I REALLY hope this idea goes through. It's been around for a while now actually, and I'm glad to see it's making a come back on the internet.. only problem is it's hard to implement something like new road designs for obvious reasons. Roads could be shut down for weeks, imagine high ways - it could be months, I'd go as far to say years. This would cost so much money for lots of people, and probably outweigh the price of just fixing pavement by a long shot. Would it be worth it by the end of the day though? Well that's still up for debate, but I'm going to say yes. It'll save time, energy, money, lives. If someone plans on going all the way with it, I hope it's done right - that is to say, it's done quickly and efficiently.

I've been very excited for this project, I donated money last month.

[Akimoto]

I REALLY hope this idea goes through. It's been around for a while now actually, and I'm glad to see it's making a come back on the internet.. only problem is it's hard to implement something like new road designs for obvious reasons. Roads could be shut down for weeks, imagine high ways - it could be months, I'd go as far to say years. This would cost so much money for lots of people, and probably outweigh the price of just fixing pavement by a long shot. Would it be worth it by the end of the day though? Well that's still up for debate, but I'm going to say yes. It'll save time, energy, money, lives. If someone plans on going all the way with it, I hope it's done right - that is to say, it's done quickly and efficiently.

I've been very excited for this project, I donated money last month.

I agree with your concern, however - I believe they could do it the same way they do it when they repair current highways; by closing a single lane and doing one lane at a time

[Key]

I REALLY hope this idea goes through. It's been around for a while now actually, and I'm glad to see it's making a come back on the internet.. only problem is it's hard to implement something like new road designs for obvious reasons. Roads could be shut down for weeks, imagine high ways - it could be months, I'd go as far to say years. This would cost so much money for lots of people, and probably outweigh the price of just fixing pavement by a long shot. Would it be worth it by the end of the day though? Well that's still up for debate, but I'm going to say yes. It'll save time, energy, money, lives. If someone plans on going all the way with it, I hope it's done right - that is to say, it's done quickly and efficiently.

I've been very excited for this project, I donated money last month.

I agree with your concern, however - I believe they could do it the same way they do it when they repair current highways; by closing a single lane and doing one lane at a time

Yes I could see how that'd possibly speed things up - but I guess it depends on how the roads have to be made. Can they be done lane by lane? Or must the whole road be shut down? Regardless, I believe if enough money is funded and bigger entities (like powerful corporations or even government installments) decide to get in on it, there's a higher chance it can be done quickly and efficiently.

[Akimoto]

The science of making Solar Panels are steadily improving, and the efficiency as well. Give it a few years and I believe we will be able to replace all power sources that pollutes our planet, if we are able to destroy the current oil and gas giants that will work against it, since it goes against their "corporate" interests.

[Key]

Nothing is going to stop them from making their money if so, we would probably have had a healthier planet by now.

[Akimoto]

This is the reason we have "Freedom fighters". I can think of no better reason than to save our doomed planet. The planet is actually worth more than the people on it. Nothing can live on a dead planet, but everything can live on a planet without people.

[Jato]

As my family owns a heavy highway construction company that i work for till im done w college ima say this prolly wouldnt work even if passed let alone be astronomically expensive. Good idea just not worth the cost plus the amount of time, technological skill, and percision required which is just simply not available from heavy highway contractors

[jawfin]

Pretty much like all good ideas, we could save the planet but unfortunately the cost is too high.

[Jato]

Pretty much like all good ideas, we could save the planet but unfortunately the cost is too high.

^ this

[Akimoto]

*casts revive*

Money. Money is stupid. Money is the motivation for everything in our society.
I want Star Trek to become a reality. No currency, only purpose and duty. A society where people can become what they want to; not to earn money; but to do what they WANT TO.

Of course, we will need the technology to create replicators, so we no longer have need for trade. No need for anything...


*screech!*

[Jurell]

This soo awesome

[MasterM]

I read an article a while ago that threw some cold water on this idea. I don't remember all the particulars and was unable to find the link, but it went something like this.

The solar roadways people have tested the panels against traffic, and only traffic. What about sudden, piercing impacts, or any other impact for that matter? There's a difference between a car driving over the panel and a semi flipping and smashing down onto it.

The panels will inevitably become dirty, presumably limiting their ability to capture sunlight. The solar roadways people have proposed to use self-cleaning materials in or on the panels, but self-cleaning materials tend to be very slippery. Needless to say this could cause some issues.

Then, of course, the cost. The solar roadways people raised ~2 million USD on indiegogo or something, sounds pretty good. Except the total bill for all of this is estimated at something like 55 trillion USD, or 3-4 times the current US national debt. With the 2 million they have, the solar roadways people are hiring engineers and doing studies. Even if all of these issues can be overcome, we're a loooooooong way from wide-spread adoption.


I'm not trying to shoot down this idea, I'm in favor of stuff like this, I just don't know if it's feasible in its current form. I would encourage people to look up more information about the entire project, especially since I couldn't find what I was looking for. There's a lot of hurdles, but this could be really cool.

[Jato]

2 million? Ya it costs about a half million to pave a single lane for a mile. A single load of concrete costs around a grand for about 10-15 cubic yards for higher grade material, not the stuff u buy in stores. Lots of material costs in roads which is why so much is spent in maintaining old roads as new
ones are incredibly expensive.

Edit--

So like MM said its a cool idea but at the time.im not sure it could work without a major breakthrough