Posted on 08/14/2019 3:14:15 PM PDT by RightGeek
Full title: The world's first solar road has turned out to be a colossal failure that's falling apart and doesn't generate enough energy, according to a report
The world's first solar road has turned out to be a colossal failure that's falling apart and doesn't generate enough energy, according to a report
The unfortunate truth is that this road is in such a poor state, it isn't even worth repairing. Last May, a 100-meter stretch had deteriorated to such a state that it had to be demolished.
According to Le Monde's report, various components of the road don't fit properly — panels have come loose and some of the solar panels have broken into fragments.
On top of the damage and poor wear of the road, the Normandy solar track also failed to fulfill its energy-production goals. The original aim was to produce 790 kWh each day, a quantity that could illuminate a population of between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants. But the rate produced stands at only about 50% of the original predicted estimates.
In its second year, the energy production level of the road further dwindled and the same downward trend has been observed at the beginning of 2019, indicating serious issues with efficiency.
Even rotting leaves and thunderstorms appear to pose a risk in terms of damage to the surface of the road. What's more, the road is very noisy, which is why the traffic limit had to be lowered to 70 kmh.
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(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Bike paths would have been a better bet.
Vehicles put a lot of stress on a highway.
Of course in the USA we would need to drive exactly 60 mph...…..
There’s a reason we build roads out of flexible rock.
If this is a road of solar panels the stupidity level is off the chart on this one.
I’m no expert on roadway materials, but that makes sense. Static materials would probably do just what this roadway did.
You are mixing ENGLISH and metric units.
This is what happens when non-engineer snowflakes insist they know more than engineers.
“The original aim was to produce 790 kWh each day, a quantity that could illuminate a population of between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants.”
Note the words used - “illuminate” meaning power the light bulbs of a house, nor run the whole household.
Given that a typical family uses roughly 24kwh/day, 790kwh would hardly be enough for 30 households, not 3000.
That is the way of advancement. Try, fail, try ,fail, try fail, until try suicide.
I could’ve built them something just as bad for half the price.
Thanks for perspective
My goodness....who would have guessed!!!
Maybe next week time they can try just imbedding the matrix with piezoelectric stones. Thanks, dumbasses
There is no free lunch.
France should be commended for helping to pioneer approaches to solar energy technology. I’m sure that French inventors, as well as inventors around the world, will learn from mistakes.
Wouldn’t they have been better off putting the panels over the road, like a roof?
Would have kept rain and snow off and reduced sun glare. Plus not destroying the panels by driving over them.
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