Roads made out of solar panels!!
on: 22/04/2014 | 17:27
Hey guys! 
Not many people have heard of this, but I think it could be one of the most important inventions in recent history!
Their aim is to turn roads into solar panels, meaning that we wouldn't have to use fossil fuels ever again! They claim that a whole town or city with roads of solar panels could power the entire town or city!
Also
- they have LEDs in them so there's no need to paint on them. The arrangements of 5 colours of lights can be changed at the touch of a button, to show things like car parking spaces or lines in the middle of the road, or write words such as "danger ahead". This is better than paint, as streetlights won't be needed because the roads will light up.
- the surface is super grippy glass, so the solar panels work and they're just as grippy as asphalt, even in the wet!
- they have heating elements in them, so they will never freeze over, and snow will melt and run off them.
- they can have pressure sensors on the side of the road, so if a child or a wild animal walked onto the road, then the LEDs could automatically display warning lights and words to slow down.
- they have a "cable corridor" underneath them, meaning ugly overhead cables could be stored under the roads instead, with easy access for maintenance people. Some cables can be made "leaky", so they can emit phone signals and wifi, so no more mobile phone masts! Everything can go down these cables, electricity, broadband, phone lines, etc.
- they can charge electic vehicles in laybys, just park up and it'll start charging your car for you. They're also trying to figure out how to continually power the car as you're going along, but that's a bit more difficult.
The big aim is to have the entire world's roads covered in solar panels, so the side that is in night will be powered by the side that is in day.
So far they've created a prototype car park, which is brilliant!
Yesterday they launched a crownfunding programme to be able to raise the money to start mass producing the product, and potentially solve the world's energy crisis, and maybe even global warming!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways
I think it's a fantastic idea, and I don't know why it's not been thought of sooner!
I've donated, have you? 
on: 22/04/2014 | 17:42
on: 22/04/2014 | 18:40
@finaltrinity @thepresident yup they really do work! They energy capture is an even better rate that they first guessed, meaning the solar panels work brilliantly. (I think they said this is due to the ripples on the glass creating refraction and getting even more sunlight to the panels, woo science!)
There's a video on their website of some kids jumping on one of the panels and the prototype flashing "SLOW DOWN". Pretty amazing really!
And here's photo evidence of the heating working. The bottom ones are turned off, and the top ones turned on! Just wow!
on: 22/04/2014 | 18:49
I lost it when i read they also have heating elements in them to melt snow ha well then they would end up using more electricity than they produce. Does anyone even know how much energy the average heating element actually uses....alot. But also charge cars, run infinite lights because they replaced paint. Get real sounds like a late april fools joke.
on: 22/04/2014 | 18:58 - edited: 22/04/2014 | 19:00
kestrelv2 wrote:
BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BUUUULLS**T
I lost it when i read they also have heating elements in them to melt snow ha well then they would end up using more electricity than they produce. Does anyone even know how much energy the average heating element actually uses....alot. But also charge cars, run infinite lights because they replaced paint. Get real sounds like a late april fools joke.
Nooo it's not an april fools joke, it's real! 
it's on facebook, it must be real 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Solar-Roadways/41869107125?fref=ts
Plus they've had grants from america's highway agency, and they've been on american news, it really is real!
Usually things like this are too good to be true, but this is one of the exceptions! Look into it and you'll see how amazing and real it is!!
Edit: plus I've been following them and their developments for months, they'd have to be a bit of a dedicated fooler to pull off a joke for that long
on: 22/04/2014 | 19:20
mattsmith100 wrote:
kestrelv2 wrote:
BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BS BUUUULLS**T
I lost it when i read they also have heating elements in them to melt snow ha well then they would end up using more electricity than they produce. Does anyone even know how much energy the average heating element actually uses....alot. But also charge cars, run infinite lights because they replaced paint. Get real sounds like a late april fools joke.Nooo it's not an april fools joke, it's real!
Plus they've had grants from america's highway agency, and they've been on american news, it really is real!
Usually things like this are too good to be true, but this is one of the exceptions! Look into it and you'll see how amazing and real it is!!
Edit: plus I've been following them and their developments for months, they'd have to be a bit of a dedicated fooler to pull off a joke for that long
Okay what roads are they on?