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Phys.org reports on a pilot project in the Netherlands to generate power from solar panels in a bike path that has so far exceeded expectations:
The first six months of the pilot phase were successful, according to a SolaRoad press release issued earlier this month. The energy yield was beyond their expectations. Spokesperson Sten de Wit said they were surprised to see the level of success so quickly. Case in point: "The bike road opened half a year ago and already generated over 3,000 kWh," he said. "If we translate this to an annual yield, we expect more than the 70 kWh per square meter per year, which we predicted as an upper limit in the laboratory stage. We can therefore conclude that it was a successful first half year."
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SolaRoad Cycle Path Electricity Yield Exceeds Expectations
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(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday May 13 2015, @09:32PM
I liken it to mining the moon for raw materials where we have plenty here on earth. There might come a time when we need to mine the moon. But that time isn't here yet and we don't really have the tech to do it in a cost effective manner. I am not against solar roadways but jumping on the bandwagon and demanding this be installed using existing tech is going down the wrong path. One day it might be totally worth it. But that day has not come yet. It may sound sighted but that is how the economy works.
The point here is you still have to destroy existing infrastructure and build much more complex infrastructure for this tech. And you more maintenance involved than other solutions. Meanwhile there are millions of square meters of rooftop baking in the sun with near zero foot traffic and no trees or dirt (well some dirt). And how many multi hectare parking lots exist? Drill a few holes and mount a solar canopy over the parking spots. That makes 100x more sense especially if we shift more towards electric cars. Everything is above ground and is easily serviced. No worrying about water ingress into your underground electrics.
Lets use the infrastructure we already have. Let's tap that first because that will result in a bigger return which will fuel more development. You are not going to be able to move forward if you exhaust your effort into an overly complex solution with a minimal return.