Elon Musk revives his plan to power the United States entirely on solar: “All you need is a 100 by 100 mile patch in a deserted corner of Arizona, Texas or Utah (or anywhere) to more than power the entire USA.”

submitted by Orangutan from inverse.com

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[–]JasonCarswell 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (8 children)

Paving the roads with solar panels is a TERRIBLE idea. See Thunderf00t's videos on all the ways it fails miserably. Ultimately all variants are scams.

Putting solar panels beside roadways is as good an idea as anywhere, accessible to maintenance, raised high or on the ground, for shade in hot climates, etc. Really there's nowhere so short of land that we need to reclaim roads.

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (7 children)

I know there has been a lot of negativity (propaganda? I dunno) regarding solar roadways. Even if the current proposals are terrible (again, I dunno either way) we are collectively clever enough to do it well. Here's why I like it: ending toxic asphalt, using the solar-exposed space that is already public, low-profile collection, the safety factor of snow/ice automatic melting, maybe finally having a way to have wired internet delivered to that last rural mile that always gets ignored. That it could be self-diagnosing as well as networked so that it functions around any given block that fails...so many potential positives. It's important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Possibly with some nanotechnology materials they could become doable. But right now, nothing is tough enough, transparent enough and water-resistant enough to make them worthwhile. Even their "demo" on which no cars ever drove failed miserably. And what about when they break? You know, crevices, sinkholes, big trucks exceeding weight limits, dropping steel beams on them, etc. Then it's not just "patch the hole", it's "rebuild this complex machinery"!

Also, I think that in -40 degree weather, with blizzards going for days, the efficiency gets a little bit negated. Then at that point you have to use snow removal scrapers and calcium salts, which are corrosive at low temperatures... There are a whole slew of difficulties that aren't taken into account.

To me, that "invention" is simply pot smokers' delusions: it seems fine until you have to actually build it.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Exactly!

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

It's not just propaganda. It's practicality.

You can't expect fine electronics to be durable under perpetual long term abuse. And then when you have to replace or maintain sections it would hamper traffic.

I agree with most of your points. But space is not at a premium - except in cities. You don't need to make your electricity or farm in your city (though I do like the idea of bringing nature in to cities). Also, there might be better alternatives to the endless sprawl of the suburban nightmare (not meaning Agenda 21).

Roads and beneath them are for utilities that travel - water/sewage, electricity/communitcations, gas, subways, etc.

Generating electricity is not about traveling. Solar roadways are dual purpose, so what if we build schools under all roadways to utilize the space. Nope. Well meaning but nope.

I'm not saying give up development entirely but it's mostly very futile. Dealing with sensitive electronics plus high voltage systems plus perpetual weather and traffic and pounding issues...

Start by making a glass or synthetic road that won't ever fog nor have potholes. Or make them less toxic.

Thorium molten salt reactors in every neighbourhood would nullify any need for solar anything - but "they" want absolute centralized control.

The baby drowned in that bad idea bathwater and there are far bigger fish to fry than solar roads.

In my opinion.

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

The baby drowned in that bad idea bathwater and there are far bigger fish

I love everything about this sentence! Plus, great points all around and I wish more people with such open minded solution-orientation were at the helm.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Thanks. It wasn't my intention to impress. I bet you'd be a great first date.

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Haha! Just glad there are people thinking deeply about solutions in a practical and open-minded way. We need so many solutions to so many things.....

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Believe it or not, I actually think there's no shortage of fantastic solutions out there. Whether you're looking at the DIY and Maker communities, or the new clever invention videos, or new products, gadgets and gismos, etc.

It's my opinion that humanity is full of creativity that is politically suppressed - in general and in media. Watching corporate media you see these glamourous lifestyles with expensive things and goals - but you don't see innovated things or solution based goals or alternatives - just the consumer products and consumption lifestyles we all know about. You never see people doing it or hacking for themselves in any detailed ways, if at all.

Ultimately, IMO, it all comes down to politics and propaganda vs freedom of information including solutions and alternatives to the establishment. Years ago Cory Doctorow was saying freedoms of communication was the most important thing. I thought it was up there with other stuff, but now I'm inclined to almost agree it's the fundamental core for all of it. If it goes, it all goes.