Solar roads, no asphalt needed

[herr_oberst]

[BReif61]

Streaming video is blocked here; any mention of what it costs?

[Aurel]

That is cute, but how about we started with solar roofs first. Oh, right they already exist. So why aren't they more widespread? Too expensive. I really don't see how solar roads would be any cheaper, so I classify this concept as a pipe dream, same as the solar paint, the paper battery, and the hydrogen economy.

[Gogar]

good lord that is stupid.

[Gogar]

wait a minute i meant to say genius just think about cookies if we could only pave america's roads with cookies then don't you understand we could feed the homeless for decades the answer is cookies it's simple really

[Gogar]

i mean it's never been done before so theres some technical challenges like cookies haven't always been required to support the weight of a semi truck and we need to recreate the texture of asphalt so there's no problems and of course we will need to culturally retrain the homeless so they don't run out in the middle of the road to eat the road-cookies but you know that's the price of progress really

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Aurel

That is cute, but how about we started with solar roofs first. Oh, right they already exist. So why aren't they more widespread? Too expensive. I really don't see how solar roads would be any cheaper, so I classify this concept as a pipe dream, same as the solar paint, the paper battery, and the hydrogen economy.

HEY! Pointing out the absurdity of unproven technology is my job here!

BTW,(not related to the discussion) how is your battery coming along?

[dtw]

Originally Posted by Gogar

cookies haven't always been required to support the weight of a semi truck

You can find cookies that meet this criterion at most any office potluck during the holidays - and in plentiful enough supply to re-pave I40.

[RWebb]

Yo man, I'm down with the roofies!

But, re solar paint - coatings with PV ability are no pipe dream; they are a future technology not yet ready for deployment

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by red-beard

HEY! Pointing out the absurdity of unproven technology is my job here!

BTW,(not related to the discussion) how is your battery coming along?

We have a spray conversion process for making Li-ion battery cathodes at half the curent cost, and smaller particle size for greater power. The challenge is to get sufficient customer pull (in the form of orders) to motivate the company to invest the $20M or so needed to build a plant and produce at scale. The good old chicken and egg problem...

The current trend is to make electrodes thicker in LiCoO2 electrodes for electronics (ipads) applications. This requires better carbon black conductive additives to transport current through the electrodes. We are launching several new products this year for that purpose.

Playing around with lead-acid batteries too. Old technology, but the volumes are so huge and the cost is so low, the market for conductive carbon additives is very significant. All the companies are developing high power VRLA versions for start-stop batteries that will be mandatory in many vehicles. E-bikes are huge market in China too. Our carbon additives improve cycle-life and charge acceptance.

In all these technologies (including solar), it is all about cost.

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Yo man, I'm down with the roofies!

But, re solar paint - coatings with PV ability are no pipe dream; they are a future technology not yet ready for deployment

Sure. And how are you going to collect the current the paint generates? Little details like that still needing to be worked out...just like the solar roads. That would make a nice Solyndrda II project for Obama second term.

[sammyg2]

One of these days something magical will happen and all our troubles will disappear. I can just FEEL it.

[RWebb]

you guys are not aware of capacitors, I guess

or photosynthesis


... or micro-machines


instead of complaining about the wind, if you were really engineers you'd adjust the sails

or maybe find a scientist to invent a new source of motorvation for the ship...