Solar panels have practical uses, BUT

Jul 31, 2014
11:15:07am

Busiturtle

they have yet to perform well enough to be cost competitive with coal / gas / nuclear / hydro and, due to their dependency on sunlight, they can never fully substitute the need for base power.

Report problem with this ad

Busiturtle

Previous username: danwut
Bio page: Busiturtle
Joined: Nov 29, 2001
Last login: Jan 4, 2023
Total posts: 56,347 (2,185 FO)

Report problem with this ad

Messages

Author

Time

This solar roadways look awesome. Perfect example of "Work Smarter, not harder"

CougarPilot

7/31/14 9:24am

CB shot that idea down weeks ago.

supertux

7/31/14 9:27am

Yup. Stupidest idea ever.

KingDave

7/31/14 9:36am

And here comes the killjoy

darkcoug

7/31/14 9:27am

aka: Reality

Busiturtle

7/31/14 10:00am

In the 90s, many journalists pooh-poohed the idea of reading books on computers.

El Jefe

7/31/14 10:17am

True, but the problems identified in this article and by others in this thread

darkcoug

7/31/14 10:19am

Yes, but a proof of concept will help get more people looking at the problems.

El Jefe

7/31/14 10:22am

The concept is fundamentally flawed

Busiturtle

7/31/14 10:46am

The concept of solar panels itself is already proven and it is only a matter of

ldssdl

7/31/14 10:52am

Hmm, Germany is relying ever more on coal power

Busiturtle

7/31/14 11:02am

Wasn't aware of that. I only deal with renewables.

ldssdl

7/31/14 11:07am

Solar panels have practical uses, BUT

Busiturtle

7/31/14 11:15am

True, but everyone in renewables knows there's no "silver bullet." The

ldssdl

7/31/14 11:21am

Altogether those are insufficient

Busiturtle

7/31/14 1:45pm

Fantastic article, that points out some very real challenges.

ldssdl

7/31/14 10:31am

Very cool, but how tested is it? Any city-wide prototypes or testing?

byujacob

7/31/14 9:30am

No. A guy built his patio out of them. That's it.

BYUMizzou

7/31/14 10:29am

I wonder how they'd stand up to a big girl in stilettos.

KingDave

7/31/14 10:33am

#mindblown

2FarGone

7/31/14 9:34am

Only if you want to drain all the suns energy. Go ahead.

Byu4life

7/31/14 9:34am

good point. i don't want to drain the sun's energy. we need the sun.

johnnycarson

7/31/14 9:35am

My favorite part of those roads is the sound they'd make if you drove on them

Cougarclaw

7/31/14 9:39am

There is no shortage of unused land in the southwest deserts

Busiturtle

7/31/14 9:53am

I work at the National Renewable Energy Lab, and I talked this over with my

ldssdl

7/31/14 9:55am

Good insight.

CougarPilot

7/31/14 10:01am

And in a decade or longer, wouldn't be easier and more efficient

Posting on CougarBoard