The last studies I saw (which I can try to dig up) showed PV energy payback at between 1 and 4 years -- so with a 25+ year lifespan, they should easily pay back, even in a climate like Seattle or Germany.
Now, if you put it on a highway, which they seem to tear up and resurface every 3 or 4 years around here to add lanes or just have fun with orange cones, it doesn't make as much sense. I really question the sense of putting solar where semi trucks and snowplows and studded tires and chains have a chance to tear it up... even concrete wears down pretty bad after 10+ years of that. Much better in my mind to put it above the highway as a canopy. On Sun, May 25, 2014 at 5:44 AM, Bill Woodcock via EV <[email protected]>wrote: > > Raw silicon is certainly less expensive, but refined silicon is refined > by, ahem, burning a LOT of petrochemicals. Not quite as energy-intensive > as aluminum smelting, I'd guess, but nearly so. That's why the embedded > energy of PV panels nearly always outweighs their lifetime solar energy > capture. Have to put them in the right places (meaning Arizona or New > Mexico or North Africa, not your roof) to make that equation work out > favorably. Unfortunately. > > > -Bill > > > > On May 24, 2014, at 19:49, "Lawrence Rhodes via EV" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > I think the reasoning is silicon is cheaper than petrochemicals. I > particularly like the idea of programmable and sensing roadways. Reminds > me of the world of Minority Report. Lawrence Rhodes > > > > > > On Saturday, May 24, 2014 6:09 PM, Lee Hart <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > >> > >> > >> Lawrence Rhodes via EV wrote: > >> > >>> This is a very good idea in my opinion. > >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep4L18zOEYI > >> > >> It's an interesting idea. But cost is going to be a *major* problem. > >> > >> I wonder why they just don't put the PV panels in the noise walls, > >> barriers, and other vertical constructions alongside the highways. They > >> don't have to carry road traffic, and are much easier to erect and > >> repair without closing traffic. > >> > >> -- > >> A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is > >> nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. > >> -- Antoine de Saint Exupery > >> -- > >> Lee Hart's EV projects are at http://www.sunrise-ev.com/LeesEVs.htm > > -------------- next part -------------- > > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > > URL: < > http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20140524/7bc74750/attachment.htm > > > > _______________________________________________ > > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > > For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA ( > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > > > > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA ( > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20140525/7f67abab/attachment.htm> _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
