EEVblog #632 - Solar Roadways Are BULLSHIT!

[coppice]

And so is missed the entire point of having an education in science and engineering: so we can spend 10 minutes with a napkin and a calculator and know what *not* to spend $3MM and ten years developing.

But they're Americans! Americans can achieve anything if they just want it badly enough.

And just how badly do they want their solar roadways to work?

[Fungus]

And so is missed the entire point of having an education in science and engineering: so we can spend 10 minutes with a napkin and a calculator and know what *not* to spend $3MM and ten years developing.

But they're Americans! Americans can achieve anything if they just want it badly enough.

And just how badly do they want their solar roadways to work?

Several million $$$ of taxpayer money, that's how badly. That's what fuels their passion. It's the American dream!

[EEVblog]

It looks like we have an answer to visibility of road markings question. Here is how that thing looks in a day light.

Did they switch it on? 
And it's early morning and there isn't any direct sunlight (no shadows)
And they are reflective buggers too, surprise surprise.

[nctnico]

And why isn't the solar roadway not in the road but on the sidewalk? Has it become a solar sidewalk?

Besides that it isn't the first public solar roadway. There has been one in the Netherlands since 2014.
On this website ( https://www.tno.nl/nl/over-tno/nieuws/2015/12/solaroad-in-de-race-voor-europese-milieuprijs/ ) they are touting a whopping result of 70kWh per square meter. Not mentioning that that number is half of what you'd get when the panels are properly mounted on a roof.

[EEVblog]

Hold the presses!
There is a film coming:
http://www.solarroadwaysfilm.com/

Guess the plot 

[EEVblog]

And why isn't the solar roadway not in the road but on the sidewalk? Has it become a solar sidewalk?

Basically.
IIRC they have several product directions now and one of them is for solar sidewalks or whatever. Maybe they even have different glass types?

Besides that it isn't the first public solar roadway. There has been one in the Netherlands since 2014.
On this website ( https://www.tno.nl/nl/over-tno/nieuws/2015/12/solaroad-in-de-race-voor-europese-milieuprijs/ ) they are touting a whopping result of 70kWh per square meter. Not mentioning that that number is half of what you'd get when the panels are properly mounted on a roof.

I've done two videos on that.

[Mr.B]

And why isn't the solar roadway not in the road but on the sidewalk? Has it become a solar sidewalk?

Maybe its because when you Google "Solar Sidewalk" the word BULLSHIT does not appear as often as when you Google "Solar Roadways"... 

[DrGeoff]

Hold the presses!
There is a film coming:
http://www.solarroadwaysfilm.com/

Guess the plot 

If you spend enough on advertising and PR, whether it works or not is immaterial.

[EEVblog]

They are fishing for another grant for inclusion of EV charging!

http://www.solarroadways.com/Blog/Blog

This year, we began talks with a consortium in Utah (http://select.usu.edu/) who are working on the technology for dynamic charging of EVs (charging while they drive). They tell us that if just interstates alone which account for 2% of roads offered this service, it would take care of 98% of the miles EVs travel.

But integrating such technology into a standard road would be difficult. Solar Roadways® panels create an electric road with the needed electricity and all of the cabling and connections to facilitate the implementation of this technology. Their mutual induction plates could be fitted right into a Solar Roadway®. To that end, we are looking for a shared grant to enable research and development of this collaboration. We’d like to create a shared demonstration at their ¼-mile track to show what the marriage of these two technologies would offer to the EV industry and of course… our fragile planet.

[nctnico]

IMHO it is time politicians should pass a math and physics test before being allowed to become part of the government. After all every job has minimum requirements so why should being part of the government be any different?

[Mr.B]

The MTBF is exceptional...
There appears to be 3 non working panels tonight.
(At least as far as the LEDs are concerned)

http://cityofsandpoint.com/visiting-sandpoint/solar-roadways#ad-image-7

[ataradov]

The third panel is dead. What a piece of junk. They could not even manage to make a reliable LED blinky.

[ataradov]

Did they switch it on? 

It was on, but the only way it was visible is by changes on the stream compression quality around changing areas.

[LabSpokane]

The MTBF is exceptional...
There appears to be 3 non working panels tonight.
(At least as far as the LEDs are concerned)

http://cityofsandpoint.com/visiting-sandpoint/solar-roadways#ad-image-7

Yup. Those panels are dropping like flies.

It also looks like individual LEDs are starting to fail as well as entire panels. I'm betting it's mostly defunct in a week.

Not that this will have any effect on the stream of grant money...

[Mr.B]

It also looks like individual LEDs are starting to fail as well as entire panels. I'm betting it's mostly defunct in a week.

WS2812B LEDs from seller dodgy_leds_r_us on ebay... 

[LabSpokane]

They're rebooting it right now.  Looks like they might have a voltage drop problem.  I'm watching them trouble shoot it live. 

[EEVblog]

The MTBF is exceptional...
There appears to be 3 non working panels tonight.
(At least as far as the LEDs are concerned)
http://cityofsandpoint.com/visiting-sandpoint/solar-roadways#ad-image-7

Was it only the centre 12 that are supposed to be lit up? If so, then all working when I just looked.

[ataradov]

Was it only the centre 12 that are supposed to be lit up? If so, then all working when I just looked.

They just fixed them. But that's why we have screenshots. So web cam is a weak point of this scam.

[Mr.B]

You bet me to it ataradov.
I was going to say that they definitely were not working an hour ago.
Have a look at the screen shot by ataradov, two posts after mine.

[LabSpokane]

The MTBF is exceptional...
There appears to be 3 non working panels tonight.
(At least as far as the LEDs are concerned)
http://cityofsandpoint.com/visiting-sandpoint/solar-roadways#ad-image-7

Was it only the centre 12 that are supposed to be lit up? If so, then all working when I just looked.

The only panels that have ever worked are the center twelve.  18 of the panels were defective at the outset and have been used as a border. 

[ataradov]

The only panels that have ever worked are the center twelve.  18 of the panels were defective at the outset.

Are they actual panels? I though it was a different color concrete.

This makes human behavior even more interesting, because most of the people stand next to the lit area, but apparently don't mind stepping on the same type of material without LEDs turned on.

[LabSpokane]

The only panels that have ever worked are the center twelve.  18 of the panels were defective at the outset.

Are they actual panels? I though it was a different color concrete.

This makes human behavior even more interesting, because most of the people stand next to the lit area, but apparently don't mind stepping on the same type of material without LEDs turned on.

Yes.  The black hexagons are actual panels, but were defective and have had the leads completely cut off. 

[ChunkyPastaSauce]

The MTBF is exceptional...
There appears to be 3 non working panels tonight.
(At least as far as the LEDs are concerned)

http://cityofsandpoint.com/visiting-sandpoint/solar-roadways#ad-image-7

Yup. Those panels are dropping like flies.

It also looks like individual LEDs are starting to fail as well as entire panels. I'm betting it's mostly defunct in a week.

Not that this will have any effect on the stream of grant money...

So far, at a min, $4million usd funding.... in cash ($100k in SBIR I, $750k in SBIR II, $750k in SBIR IIB, $2,274k from indigogo https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/355949 )

[rsjsouza]

The MTBF is exceptional...
There appears to be 3 non working panels tonight.
(At least as far as the LEDs are concerned)

http://cityofsandpoint.com/visiting-sandpoint/solar-roadways#ad-image-7

Yup. Those panels are dropping like flies.

It also looks like individual LEDs are starting to fail as well as entire panels. I'm betting it's mostly defunct in a week.

Not that this will have any effect on the stream of grant money...

If they have good PR behind, that is one more reason to secure more money: it will be crucial to increase yield and reliability. Where does it end? At this point nobody knows for sure, but I suspect we are still far from the end of it.

[Red Squirrel]

It's neat to see "the real thing" despite this whole idea being absurd.   They are also much thinner and look kinda "cheap" than I expected.  I don't know how smart it is to have them be laid on sand... with the frost heave etc these things are going to get wrecked!   

I still don't get why they went with a hexagonal design, a square or rectangular design would have been better, if the hexagonal design was for better strength when they are interlocked, you could simply install rectangle ones like bricks.   

Looking at the cells in there I don't imagine there is more than 30w per tile of solar.  The only way I see these viable is for indoor applications or perhaps residential settings, like building a walkway or deck out of them, could make for a neat outdoor lighting display for parties and stuff I suppose.