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The main purpose of roads is to handle vehicle traffic. Here I see solar panels covered with glass and I just don't get it how it can be used for anything else
by pakitan 11y ago
The main purpose of roads is to handle vehicle traffic. Here I see solar panels covered with glass and I just don't get it how it can be used for anything else but to generate hype. Even if the glass was somehow more damage resistant than asphalt there is still the question of grip. And even if you invented transparent asphalt to put the panels beneath, it would only be trasparent for a day or two, until dirt accumulates. They are probably cleaning this 70m strip every day but can't do the same for the entire road network.
- stephengillie 11y agoPart of the experiment is to test the traction surface. They had a problem with a bicyclist slipping, so they switched from stick-on surface to spray-on surface. The article says they use an angled surface and natural precipitation to keep the glass clean. I can only imagine how much dirt builds up on a highway over a day. A similar complication would be dirt or sand being blown onto the roadway by wind, or washed there by rainfall.