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Idaho’s $4.3 Million Solar Road Generates Enough Power To Run ONE Microwave
Daily Caller News ^ | 04/03/2017 | Andrew Follett

Posted on 04/04/2017 4:56:47 PM PDT by george76

An expensive solar road project in Idaho can’t even power a microwave most days, according to the project’s energy data.

The Solar FREAKIN’ Roadways project generated an average of 0.62 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per day since it began publicly posting power data in late March. To put that in perspective, the average microwave or blow drier consumes about 1 kWh per day.

On March 29th, the solar road panels generated 0.26 kWh, or less electricity than a single plasma television consumes. On March 31st, the panels generated 1.06 kWh, enough to barely power a single microwave. The panels have been under-performing their expectations due to design flaws, but even if they had worked perfectly they’d have only powered a single water fountain and the lights in a nearby restroom.

Solar FREAKIN’ Roadways has been in development for 6.5 years and received a total of $4.3 million in funding to generate 90 cents worth of electricity.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Idaho
KEYWORDS: agw; electricity; energy; globalwarming; sandpoint; science; solar; solarelectricity; solarpanels; solarroads
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1 posted on 04/04/2017 4:56:47 PM PDT by george76
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To: george76
Solar FREAKIN’ Roadways has been in development for 6.5 years and received a total of $4.3 million in funding to generate 90 cents worth of electricity.

That's a much, much better ROI than Nuclear Fusion.

2 posted on 04/04/2017 4:59:53 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: george76

Is the microwave on high or low?


3 posted on 04/04/2017 5:02:35 PM PDT by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust cIonservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: george76

That’s the Democrat idea of “investing in infrastructure”.


4 posted on 04/04/2017 5:02:40 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: george76

Really a hair dryer or microwave consumes an average of 1 kw/hr a day??? My understanding is that takes 1000 watts use for 1 hour to equal a kilowatt hour.

My microwave is 1200watts and gets used maybe 10 minutes daily... we don’t own a hair dryer, I think they used to be 1500 watts, not sure who spends 40 minutes drying their hair.


5 posted on 04/04/2017 5:02:44 PM PDT by AzNASCARfan
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To: george76
The system in question:


6 posted on 04/04/2017 5:03:21 PM PDT by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good -- Leo XIII)
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To: george76

Who paid for it?


7 posted on 04/04/2017 5:05:37 PM PDT by Rio (Proud resident of the State of Jefferson)
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To: george76
Meet the entrepreneurs and politicians eager to CUT YOU IN
8 posted on 04/04/2017 5:06:35 PM PDT by Fightin Whitey
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To: Rio

Silly question! You know.


9 posted on 04/04/2017 5:07:18 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Dan Rather, a 60 Minutes Investigative Reporter for CBS, invented "Fake News"-fake but accurate.)
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To: RetiredTexasVet

And a 99% chance that those who took the money were democrats.


10 posted on 04/04/2017 5:12:03 PM PDT by boycott
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To: george76

Who didn’t see this coming?


11 posted on 04/04/2017 5:14:21 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (The GOP will see the light, because Trump will make them feel the heat.it is hugh and series)
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To: Yo-Yo

LENR is coming along nicely...


12 posted on 04/04/2017 5:15:09 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (The GOP will see the light, because Trump will make them feel the heat.it is hugh and series)
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To: george76
I'll get the popcorn.

(See what I did there?)

13 posted on 04/04/2017 5:15:19 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: george76

Gee, you would think they could have hired a consultant or an expert of some kind who would have been able to predict this outcome, or something within a factor of ten of it, anyway.

Perhaps they used million-man math in doing their feasibility study.

Or maybe the feasibility study was done by the solar-cell sales guy.


14 posted on 04/04/2017 5:15:57 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Liberals think in propaganda)
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To: george76

I gotta get in on this green energy scam. They’re getting millions in govt grants and probably paying themselves pretty well to come up with failing products.


15 posted on 04/04/2017 5:16:19 PM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: george76

Wow, assuming a 20-year life (which is probably optimistic considering people are driving on it if it’s the one I’ve seen on TV), that’s a bargain at only $949.42/kwh!! I think I’ll stick with my un-PC power at $0.13/kwh.


16 posted on 04/04/2017 5:17:56 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: AzNASCARfan

Any three females.


17 posted on 04/04/2017 5:18:53 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: markomalley

Hey, maybe they can run the juice over to that light and they’ll have a perpetual motion machine!!


18 posted on 04/04/2017 5:20:09 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: george76

Insulation data is readily available, perhaps Arizona would have been a better location?


19 posted on 04/04/2017 5:23:02 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: george76

While this article may have a point, it sure didn’t make one.

What’s the size of the project? What are the numbers on energy that was promised as compared to what was produced?

It’s not unusual for a new type of technology to produce poorly at first. So what?

I like new technology, and I’m willing to give it some time.

If we used this methodology to critique our new fighters, we wouldn’t have any new fighters.

I don’t believe this is a ten mile stretch of highway. It’s probably a very small area where the tech is being tested.

The people bringing this along, don’t seem to have all their oars in the water. I grant you that, because I have been following this loosely for a year or more, and they aren’t exactly burning up the landscape with production and proof of concept.


20 posted on 04/04/2017 5:26:51 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (NeverTrump, a movement that was revealed to be a movement. Thank heaven we flushed!)
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