[DuckDodgers]

Thank you for giving the one obvious example Dave.  Is that the standard?

[Lord Dave]

Thank you for giving the one obvious example Dave.  Is that the standard?

Would you like a less obvious one?  I'm sure I can pull up Google maps and play around for a while.

[DuckDodgers]

Go for it.

[Rushy]

All roads (built to code) are sloped to prevent flooding. There is no such thing as a legal flat road as it is considered a safety hazard.

[DuckDodgers]

My mistake for not making my post pendant-proof. I'm speaking of gradient, not of the general slope of the roadway from the middle to the edge.

[Rushy]

My mistake for not making my post pendant-proof.

What does jewelry-proofing your post have to do with mine?

I'm speaking of gradient, not of the general slope of the roadway from the middle to the edge.

We're talking about paving the roads with solar panels and why that may be a good/bad idea. What exactly are you talking about? It's starting to look like you're having an irrelevant sidebar conversation.

[DuckDodgers]

My phone picked out pendant instead of pedant and I missed that, my mistake.  I was referring to my thoughts that windy mountain roads would be about the only major concern when it comes to hilly terrain, and this is due to the gradients involved in the roads and how quickly they increase or decrease in their gradient.

[markjo]

My mistake for not making my post pendant-proof. I'm speaking of gradient, not of the general slope of the roadway from the middle to the edge.

The gradient, in and of itself, is not that big a deal.  It's the flowing contours that large hexagonal tiles have a hard time following.  There's a reason that you don't see cobblestone streets with 12 inch or so hexagonal pavers.

[EnigmaZV]

I think you'd potentially be missing out on one of the major upsides of this technology if you did this, the defrosting.  Northern latitudes and mountains terrain are particularly susceptible to snow and ice accumulation and leads to list business during the winter.  This would help keep the roads clear of snow and ice and would probably keep businesses and across open 90% of the time.

The problem with this is energy usage. While it sounds great, the amount of energy necessary to heat the panels enough to melt snow is tremendous. In winter months the panels would burn more energy than they create.

How much is required?
It doesn't have to get to any great temperature, just enough to keep snow from collecting.

The energy required to convert a volume of solid water at 0^oC to liquid water at 0^oC is about the same amount of energy required to get that liquid water 3/4 of the way to boiling. This is not a trivial amount of energy.

[Thork]

All roads (built to code) are sloped to prevent flooding. There is no such thing as a legal flat road as it is considered a safety hazard.

They aren't sloped. They are cambered. 

[Pete Svarrior]

Enter Thunderf00t.

[DuckDodgers]

I watched about half of that video over the weekend, and his arguments aren't exactly the best.  He lists a retail cost for the glass instead of wholesale or production cost.  He doesn't really back up his "glass is soft" argument which Dave has already been kind enough to prove is false.  His LED test used a white backing, not that I really believe it'd make a huge difference.  His cost to bury lines figure didn't really break out the material cost and the labor cost,  since they already have to trench up the edge of the roads anyway the labor would be minimal.  Just to name a few instances of weak arguments.

[fappenhosen]

I think Thunderf00t is right. As I said before I'm sure there are large companies with roads/parking space that could accommodate this product.

It has a market, just not the one they've over-zealously pitched with a shouty man and cool laid back synth.

[EnigmaZV]

Enter Thunderf00t.

Interesting. I don't know how I missed this, I subscribe to his station. I like watching him blow things up.

[markjo]

Just a few more things to think about:
http://jalopnik.com/why-the-solar-roadway-is-a-terrible-idea-1582519375
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/183130-solar-roadways-passes-1-4-million-in-crowdfunding-just-short-of-the-56-trillion-required-but-not-bad-for-a-crazy-idea

[Lord Dave]

Are you guys all really arguing that the entire project would be too much all at once?

Really?
The idea that we'd do this all at once is just as silly as the idea that we'd build all of America's roads all at once.  Or America's rail way system.

[Pete Svarrior]

Are you guys all really arguing that the entire project would be too much all at once?

No, we're arguing that the project is completely infeasible. One of the many lines of reasoning is that the entire project would cost several times the US' yearly budget.

[Snupes]

Are you guys all really arguing that the entire project would be too much all at once?

No, we're arguing that the project is completely infeasible. One of the many lines of reasoning is that the entire project would cost several times the US' yearly budget.

Which would be spread out over a long, long time (decades, maybe), and would hopefully save enough to be worth it in the end.

[Pete Svarrior]

Which would be spread out over a long, long time (decades, maybe), and would hopefully save enough to be worth it in the end.

It wouldn't save anything. The costs of maintenance would be ludicrous.

[markjo]

Are you guys all really arguing that the entire project would be too much all at once?

Lots of state and local governments have a hard enough time affording asphalt.  What's the cost per mile and how long would it take to recoup the premium for a solar roadway upgrade?  Will the base (let alone the tiles) last that long?