China’s first solar powered highway will recharge electric cars (PHOTOS,VIDEO)

Maybe someday when everything in transportation is electric this will be the way to go. With new materials and ways of manufacturing the road beds I think this is something long over due.
www.rt.com...

The solar road is made up of an insulating layer on the bottom, photovoltaic panels in the middle, and transparent concrete on top.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as transparent concrete ..

Electricity produced by the test section will be used to power highway lights, sign boards, surveillance cameras, tunnel and toll gate facilities.

Surplus power will be supplied to the state grid, Xu Chunfu, the group's chairman told Xinhua.

In the future, it’s hoped the innovative panels will allow wireless charging for electric vehicles, melt snow and provide internet connection. The photovoltaic road section also features ports with access to information collecting devices.

Yeah, America is more into who is more famous for showing show thru clothing these days.

originally posted by: musicismagic
Yeah, America is more into who is more famous for showing show thru clothing these days.

That did make me chuckle.

The idea of solar power highways is fascinating if you can get it work. China seem to want to move forward and try new things. If they don't work, they try something else. A fast moving country. Technology wise.
Worth keeping an eye on this.

China is known to have the most effed up traffic backups in the world, how can a road get charged when it's covered for hours or even days?

originally posted by: thesaneone
China is known to have the most effed up traffic backups in the world, how can a road get charged when it's covered for hours or even days?

Actually Thailand holds the record for deaths on roads per population of any nation in the world.. Bangkok traffic.... is some of the worst of any city as far as traffic jams but few die there for everyone is doing 5 miles an hour if lucky..

Holidays and people going back to be with families is where the death toll really starts to add up because the roads are narrow and the disparity of vehicles doing either way to slow and way to fast makes for some serious road rage and horrendous accidents.. newsletter.thaivisa.com...

originally posted by: thesaneone
China is known to have the most effed up traffic backups in the world, how can a road get charged when it's covered for hours or even days?

The same way a solar panel can be used to power your house even though it gets dark.

My bull##it radar is going ballistic.

Why not put these panels say.... in an open field angled at a trajectory that is optimal for solar capture?

Absolutely stupid idea, the efficiency waisted here would be through the roof and thats not taking into account road wear and tear and vehicle shadows. And the dust and debris will need cleaning regularly possibly daily.

Thunderfoot would be laughing his ass off.

originally posted by: purplemer

originally posted by: thesaneone
China is known to have the most effed up traffic backups in the world, how can a road get charged when it's covered for hours or even days?

The same way a solar panel can be used to power your house even though it gets dark.

You do realise your house panels are angled for optimal solar capture and no car's drive on your roof...... do you not????

a reply to: muSSang

Yes i do I use them. Sit there being critical all you want. The Chinese will leave you sitting in almost every aspect They are not messing about The rate of change in China is phenomenal.

a reply to: 727Sky

what is " transparent concrete " ???????????????

its a throwaway term that no one seems to have asked about

a transparent media - thas sutible for use as a road surface ????

thats actually [ potentially ] an impertant story in its own right

composition // chemical formula - cost , density , durability , thermal properties

etc etc etc

ATS member " mussang " seems to have skepticism of the claims of solar raoadways covered - so i will stop at the above queries into the viability of transparent concrete

this is one of my fav scams atm. its just so ridiculous of an idea from the get go yet really gets uninformed people excited. checkout thunderfoot or eevblog. heres another bit about solar most people dont know. its actually a negative energy producer and u burn more fossil fuels to produce then they ever will give back out in electricity over their lifetime. there are energy positive panels but no one is installing those due to the cost and everything involved in the system. if your not a fan of thunderfoot from the video above i suggest checking out Eevblog on youtube. he breaks it down much better imo and is a fun guy to listen 2.
www.youtube.com...

anyone else understand why youtubes video codes dont seem to work in links sometimes these days?

originally posted by: purplemer
a reply to: muSSang

Yes i do I use them. Sit there being critical all you want. The Chinese will leave you sitting in almost every aspect They are not messing about The rate of change in China is phenomenal.

What you said there please apply! Critical thinking!
A solar road? The angle of the panels will decrease efficiency by 60% then you have cars blocking the sun.

China can go ahead and do this, here in Australia we angle our panels towards the sun and remove anything that inhibits efficiency say... shadows.

Who will leave who in the dust? Again stupid idea the cost of maintaining these will supersede the generated wattage output.

a reply to: 727Sky

Easy for China to incorporate this, they are still modernizing their infrastructure.

Electricity produced by the test section will be used to power highway lights, sign boards, surveillance cameras, tunnel and toll gate facilities.

Making that independent of the power grid is innovative. In the US the corporatocracy would never allow that, it doesn't maximize profits.

a reply to: 727Sky

Whats going to happen when these panels have a malfunction? If they don't know which panel it is, it will take ages trying to find it or them but I'm presuming they've thought of this and have the solar grid mapped on computer. Anyhows I read it took 1 year for that stretch of road, how long will it take to have this in the Cities where most traffic is and would it even work in the crowded roads of the cities? Not to mention the cost.

a reply to: 727Sky

China seems to be leading the world in new renewable technologies.
The USA will probably catch up and pass them in that regard once those coal factories start coming back here....right?

Here in the West, we are building solar-powered office blocks. The sun facing sides catch enough sunlight that it's worth installing solar panels. Energy is stored in batteries and used to run basic systems like emergency lighting and air conditioning. We also have solar-powered speed hazard warning signs. Again they capture and store energy from sunlight, then display warnings using LED light displays.

originally posted by: stormcell
Here in the West, we are building solar-powered office blocks. The sun facing sides catch enough sunlight that it's worth installing solar panels. Energy is stored in batteries and used to run basic systems like emergency lighting and air conditioning. We also have solar-powered speed hazard warning signs. Again they capture and store energy from sunlight, then display warnings using LED light displays.

see thats solar used right. implemented in a place where the infrastructure is capable of handling it, in an environment thats conducive to its longevity, and puts the power to use on site eliminating the normal losses from transmission of power over long distances.

originally posted by: purplemer
a reply to: muSSang

Yes i do I use them. Sit there being critical all you want. The Chinese will leave you sitting in almost every aspect They are not messing about The rate of change in China is phenomenal.

Solar is the future but the Chinese will find in their testing this is a bad implementation and there are better ways to do it as others have said.

Have you watched the video muSSang posted? Maybe it's beyond your comprehension but if so then you shouldn't be defending something you don't understand. Defend the Chinese if you want but this particular implementation of solar is hard to defend. If you really want to try, how about rebutting some of the issues raised in the video?

a reply to: Arbitrageur

Have you watched the video muSSang posted? Maybe it's beyond your comprehension but if so then you shouldn't be defending something you don't understand. Defend the Chinese if you want but this particular implementation of solar is hard to defend. If you really want to try, how about rebutting some of the issues raised in the video?

Its not just the Chinesse that are doing this. It happening in other parts of the world. As solars become more efficent. This becomes more feasible.

Happy days

a reply to: purplemer
At least you seem to realize efficiency is important.
Why then do you think this is a good idea when the angle is extremely inefficient?
You would get a huge boost in watts per square meter by putting the panel on the side of the road and angling it toward the sun, instead of on a flat surface which is not angled toward the sun. Oh yeah, muSSang already mentioned that:

originally posted by: muSSang
My bull##it radar is going ballistic.

Why not put these panels say.... in an open field angled at a trajectory that is optimal for solar capture?

That would make more sense. It's what this solar farm in Germany does:

Solar Farm in Germany, based on fixed racks of thin film.

Not only do you get more watts per square meter that way initially, but also you don't have the problems of road grime, oil leaks, and pebbles stuck in tire treads scratching the road surface until it's not transparent anymore, if such a road surface even exists. Nobody answered the question about the properties of the supposed "transparent concrete", plus there are many other engineering issues, which the Thunderfoot video didn't even mention.

Also I don't believe anybody has built a successful roadway based on this concept; if they have then post the link.