EEVblog #1236 - German Solar Freakin' Roadways!

You never go full Brusaw!
Germany has it's own Solar Freakn' Roadways trial, guess the results...

#SolarRoadways #Solar #FAIL
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[RemcoStoutjesdijk]

The weeds growing between the tiles is a definitive proof that solar energy CAN be harvested on these roads

[GoldSrc_]

When people complain that Dave is "beating a dead horse", this shows that this horse just refuses to die so it needs more beatings.

[operationstayalive]

in order for solar roads to work we need flying cars first.

[Hogscraper]

I was totally ready to throw my money at this product until you pointed out that there wasn't any blockchain support. Literally a deal breaker for me. Bummer...

[stephenbell]

Caption in the newspaper photo: "Tarpaulins protect the modules from the sun"

Seems to be a fundamental design flaw if your solar panel installation can't withstand exposure to sunlight

[rtzone]

Translation of the German news report @10:54

And now to the special bike-way. It generates electricity, absorbs noise and makes ice melt.
Today, federal environment minister Svenja Schulze christened the lane in Erftstadt - naturally fitting on a bike.
"It really is very innovative, it is a great project, and that is why it is my please to be here - even in the rain."
For the politician it was a home fixture, having been science minister here in North Rhine-Westphalia.

My colleague Linda Lux got to try out the lane in advance.

The first bicyclists already dabble on the very special bike-way - and even on four wheels driving is neat.
The residents of Erftstadt are stoked about the solar bike-way.
"You can drive really well, you don't get stuck... It's just good to drive."
"If this generates electricity, then that is good."
"Very sensible - dead asphalt driveways could be used with solar this way."
And precisely that is the idea behind the first solar bike-way in Germany.
Most people only know photovoltaic panels from a distance, when installed on rooftops.
Bust this solar farm is significantly more robust, and is stuck to the ground over roughly 200m².
Everybody may and should be able to walk on it.
Pioneering is how the Donald Müller-Judex, founder of a company seated in Berlin, describes it.
The company specialized on innovative mobility. In a video-interview, he explains how he came up with the idea:
"I was driving on lonely, sunlit bike-ways for 3 days and then thought to myself 'Hey, there's enough room here, also enough sunlight. Why not use the roads?'
A smart road in the way we envision it is already planned in China."
If he could decide, electric cars could soon be charged this way, but that are dreams of the future.
What is real now on the other hand is the 90m long bike-way in Erftstadt being connected to the public power grid and can generate enough electricity per year to cover four single-family homes.
Financial support of over 784.000€ was given by the federal environment ministry for the test project within scope of the national climate protection goals.
"We as a city want to prove that municipalities can generate clean energy - without disrupting the scenery."
The disadvantage of the horizontally positioned panels is possible icing in the winter, if water or snow accumulates. But there is a solution for that.
"Today, naturally, we have amazing weather. But there are precautions taken for the coming winter months, the photovoltaic site detects when it could get slippy and then gets heated. Which means, even in winter, no one can slip."
Maybe this is even cheaper than the usual winter road maintenance.
And it seems the first solar bike-way in Germany is also particularly suited for everyday use.

Yeah, a bike-way that thinks.

[davidellenberger]

A pretty efficient test. After just 4 months they already reached the point where they can test the recycling process. Great!

[PhilipLeitch]

This is the result of our society's science illiteracy.

[deadgaming]

Has anyone done a burnout on one of these solar roads?
I would 100% be interested in seeing the damage from this.

[at]

Those damn old people speeding on the solar roadway with their walkers are tearing it all

[BenHeckHacks]

I think what may attract politicians to this rubbish is the fact roads are in the domain of government. They are something tax dollars have to be spent on anyway so it's a fairly obvious target for "greenification" even if it's not practical or feasible.

[MegaAndroyd]

A very successful monorail salesman at work.

[MitsumaYT]

No, you see, the German one was just too effective at generating electricity, couldn't handle it. /s

[Phil]

“You’ve got to have graphene these days” had me rolling Dave lol, great vid

[Poxenium]

Man, it's like these people never saw empty, unused rooftops in their lives ... just the streets, which are used by pedestrians, cars, bikes, and even by stray dogs for sheeeting.

[jlucasound]

Simply extortion and criminal activity, right out in the open, and going unpunished. Hello, World?

[johnmoore]

If the Germans couldn't engineer it right, I doubt anyone can.

[SamuelFilipesf]

With all those weeds, they could now easily claim to save 101% CO2.

[tom_ad]

Fix tilt utility scale solar is just as awful a proposition in Germany as laying them flat on the road. As a northern latitude country that has peak energy demand in cold winter months, any solar installation makes little senses as at produces virtually zero during Dec, Jan, Feb.

[philpearce]

Do you think governments would increase my bank balance for 'Solar Transport' the system is based on covering the roofs of lorry's, train carriages, and other larger roofed vehicles with solar panels that charge battery packs providing power to electric motors and reducing the amount of fossile fuel needed to provide momentum. At least this system should be able to last a little longer and not require weeding like the German