[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('fletch_961', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ith the current costs of HMA per lane mile of ~$3000 are only a few precent of costs (~48 tons of HMA per lane mile, at $60/ton)

[fletch_961]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')omplete in place it's going for around $90/ton on large jobs this year.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('fletch_961', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')omplete in place it's going for around $90/ton on large jobs this year.

[fletch_961]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he stuff is time sensitive in that you have to have a place to put it as soon as you make it. It can only be stored in insulated silos for about a day. It's not cost effective to haul it more then fifty miles or so and you need dry weather to pave.

[yesplease]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('fletch_961', 'L')et me help you w/ the math:
One foot thick asphalt road, 5280 ft per mile, 12 ft wide = 63,360 cu ft
~100pounds per cubic ft = 6,336,000 pounds
2000 pounds per ton = 3,168 tons
$60/ton = $190,080.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('yesplease', '[').html]past in the form of lava trees and tree molds. These volcanic features are created when fluid lava surrounds a tree and a coating of solid lava forms around the trunk. It might seem that 2,000°F lava would cause a tree to burst into flame and burn away. But when hot lava touches the moist, cool tree, the layer of lava next to the trunk chills and solidifies, insulating the tree from the heat of the oncoming flow. Eventually, the tree does burn to ash or, if the temperature and airflow are right, "bakes" into charcoal. But if the lava flow that encased the tree drains away through a nearby crack or to a lower area, a pillar of lava, or lava tree, remains, rising above the ground's surface where the tree once stood.

[fletch_961]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')irst off, lava doesn't even ignite trees and we're looking at way more energy, probably with a higher temperature, rolling right on the poor things. Don't get me wrong, I don't think pouring molten glass, or even hot asphalt, on trees or brush of any sort is a good idea, but you should look to similar phenomenon before jumping to any conclusions.

[yesplease]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'S')o we will have pillars of glass where the workers once stood?

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'S')omeone bring me up to date on this crap.

Do we have yesplease suggesting that, somehow, molten glass can be formed on site, and, somehow, poured onto a road surface thus forming PV panels.

Is he serious?

[yesplease]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'S')omeone bring me up to date on this crap.

Do we have yesplease suggesting that, somehow, molten glass can be formed on site, and, somehow, poured onto a road surface thus forming PV panels.

[vtsnowedin]

[quote="yesplease"]They should make about half a million per mile per year in electricity so that helps defray costs. I'm pretty sure that most road paving costs in 2006 don't have land acquisition costs, or grading and surveying costs comparable to new road construction. Hauling the panels should be a pretty insignificant cost, but I found this indicating that the total cost should actually be about $16 million, since we'll need to pave with glass in a way similar to paving with asphalt (Which btw has several patents related to the same microwave idea).

In terms of the total cost, the group that proposed the plan wants to incorporate power generation, transmission, and data all in one road that will (supposedly) last three times longer than a typical road. This avoids right of way problems with new transmission, but I can't really say whether or not it'll be cost effective, since it depends on developing equipment capable of heating and forming the glass over the panels. If they can pull it off, it'll be much easier to repair roads, since we can just do another run w/ the equipment as opposed to pulling up all the old stuff and taking it back to be processed, which was the motivation for similar patents regarding asphalt paving.

I don't think large trucks in particular represent a large impediment. It really on whether or not they can pull off the application, and if so, what the savings from integrating services, along w/ lower maintenance costs, will be compared to asphalt or concrete based roads at the time.[/quote]
Thats where.
Murderous? Me ? Well if your standing between me : and a beautiful woman with a come and get it smile, or a hot meal, or a case of cold beer then you might have a problem but I can't imagine it not being easier to just go around you.

[yesplease]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('yesplease', 'T')hey should make about half a million per mile per year in electricity so that helps defray costs. I'm pretty sure that most road paving costs in 2006 don't have land acquisition costs, or grading and surveying costs comparable to new road construction. Hauling the panels should be a pretty insignificant cost, but I found this indicating that the total cost should actually be about $16 million, since we'll need to pave with glass in a way similar to paving with asphalt (Which btw has several patents related to the same microwave idea).

In terms of the total cost, the group that proposed the plan wants to incorporate power generation, transmission, and data all in one road that will (supposedly) last three times longer than a typical road. This avoids right of way problems with new transmission, but I can't really say whether or not it'll be cost effective, since it depends on developing equipment capable of heating and forming the glass over the panels. If they can pull it off, it'll be much easier to repair roads, since we can just do another run w/ the equipment as opposed to pulling up all the old stuff and taking it back to be processed, which was the motivation for similar patents regarding asphalt paving.

I don't think large trucks in particular represent a large impediment. It really on whether or not they can pull off the application, and if so, what the savings from integrating services, along w/ lower maintenance costs, will be compared to asphalt or concrete based roads at the time.

[Gerben]

Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to try this out on bicycle roads? Bicycle roads have much lower requirements.

[yesplease]

Probably. I imagine that foot/bike paths in temperate climates would make for a good proof of concept.

[Carlhole]

SH
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')cott and Julie Brusaw have a way of solving the energy crisis, it just involves you driving on glass. The Brusaws are the founders of Solar Roadways, an Idaho based startup looking to reinvent the US highway system by replacing asphalt roads with solar cells. Using photo-voltaic technology available today, Scott Brusaw calculates that a single mile of highway, if converted to solar cells, would provide enough power to run 428 homes in the US. And that’s on just four hours of sunlight a day. Solar Roadways has garnered the attention of think tanks, documentary film makers, and politicians. They even took home a grant from the Department of Transportation and created a prototype panel (12′ x 12′) that also functions as an intelligent roadway with sensors and dynamic lighting. The Solar Roadways project is remarkable for its vision, but there are many questions about costs, administration, and driving on glass surfaces that have yet to be answered. Check out videos of the prototype panel below and judge for yourself about whether solar panel roads are the ticket to living on easy street, or a just another highway to hell.

[eXpat]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]I’m also concerned with how much this project depends on the undeveloped technology of the glass surface. We haven’t seen a single panel of this magic substance which will be able to handle all the requirements that Brusaw has laid out for it. Nor have we really seen any numbers on what that substance will actually cost. And how will it stay clean? The Solar Roadways FAQ proposes that the roadway could use self-cleaning glass, or that we could simply clean it with a street sweeper. I sense some more hand-waving here.

But maybe we’ll have clearer answers to these concerns in the years ahead. Solar Roadways seems bent on raising funds and developing future prototypes. You can vote for their concept in the GE Ecomagination competition where $200 million in funding (in total) is at stake, and you can personally donate to the cause through their website. Hopefully additional funds would allow Solar Roadways to build a prototype that actually generates usable amounts of electricity and stores it for later use.

Until they do produce such a prototype, I’m not sure I’ll believe in the Solar Roadways concept.

[Carlhole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eXpat', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]I’m also concerned with how much this project depends on the undeveloped technology of the glass surface. We haven’t seen a single panel of this magic substance which will be able to handle all the requirements that Brusaw has laid out for it. Nor have we really seen any numbers on what that substance will actually cost. And how will it stay clean? The Solar Roadways FAQ proposes that the roadway could use self-cleaning glass, or that we could simply clean it with a street sweeper. I sense some more hand-waving here.

But maybe we’ll have clearer answers to these concerns in the years ahead. Solar Roadways seems bent on raising funds and developing future prototypes. You can vote for their concept in the GE Ecomagination competition where $200 million in funding (in total) is at stake, and you can personally donate to the cause through their website. Hopefully additional funds would allow Solar Roadways to build a prototype that actually generates usable amounts of electricity and stores it for later use.

Until they do produce such a prototype, I’m not sure I’ll believe in the Solar Roadways concept.

[eXpat]

Those roads are going to be real funny when it rains or drizzle!, then again, it may help with the overpopulation problem.
I thought that as the singularity approaches, we would have flying cars!, why bother with roads then?
(Hint to Carlhole : YES! is sarcasm again )

[Carlhole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eXpat', 'Y')ES! is sarcasm again )