Comments
Nuker-79 t1_jd2ugke wrote
These will not work too well in my opinion, if only for the fact that I know how filthy the tracks get from the oils/dirt that is deposited on the tracks. I live adjacent to a railway and they are filthy all the time.
It would take a lot of maintenance to keep them clean.
rkhbusa t1_jdehkag wrote
Hear me out put them on the cars, it can be a little rough up there as well but no where near as hazardous to the panels as in between the things like auto carriers tanks and a variety of hoppers you get like 200sqft per car just on the top empty a car is 30-40 ton so adding another 2% for panels and energy storage isn’t a big deal the extra operating cost to the train is minimal on flats trains run like 1.0-1.6 HPT (horsepower per ton) to maintain 60 mph, the engines are already diesel electric just spend the payout through the engine and the added wind will help keep the panels free of debris.
I reckon you could top and side the cars and guarantee solar production from top and one side at a time 100 cars on a double set train x400sq ft top and one side =40,000 sq feet of solar panel x 20 watts =800,000 watts / 750 watts per hp it’s a bonus 1000+hp in the sunlight pretty good considering 100loaded cars can be pulled by 8800hp.
everymanakang t1_jd34vov wrote
Reddit gushes over the idea of solar roads, sidewalks and the like. But they are so inefficient. It would be far cheaper to put the capital toward encouraging landowners and business owners to put them on their property in a more traditional configuration
jayvapezzz t1_jd5ntew wrote
I didn’t realise that we were running out of space for solar panels so that we had to start putting them in really awkward places.
misterjive t1_jddlgrg wrote
It's a brilliant way to grift money out of governments and dumb folks.
misterjive t1_jdcodrf wrote
"There couldn't be a dumber idea than solar roadways."
These chucklefucks: "Hold my beer."
RPGPlayer01 t1_jd4jtgr wrote
Well I hope they would generate electricity. Not many other reasons to put solar panels anywhere
diacewrb OP t1_jd2cv6b wrote
>Solar panel installation along railroad tracks is not a novel concept. Photovoltaic components mounted on railroad sleepers are being tested by two additional businesses, Italy's Greenrail, and England's Bankset Energy.
>However, in partnership with EPFL, the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Lausanne, Sun-Ways is the first to have patented a removable system.
>Danichert declares, "that is the innovation," according to him, the ability to remove the panels is necessary in order to perform maintenance tasks like rail grinding. Trains continue to travel along the lines without incident, thanks to rail grinding.
[deleted] t1_jd342o8 wrote
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seething_with_class t1_jd381k7 wrote
I figure somebody got in trouble for using too much confident language in a press release about some other 'future tech' topic before this
JamimaPanAm t1_jd5mw6s wrote
A gadgets article that isn’t straight out of Black Mirror. I love it 👍
Money4Nothing2000 t1_jdin98h wrote
I'm an electrical engineer, and, just...HAHAHAHAHAA.
There's no freaking way this works. Those solar panels will be destroyed by vibration, and covered in dust and oil, and be worthless in no time. These guys DON'T have some special robust panels that will survive. Also, panels that are flat have like 40% less energy output than tilted panels.
And how the hell are you gonna connect inverters and cables to panels in a LONG STRAIGHT LINE? Like, the most idiotic topology for a solar panel installation.
We have tons of space to put panels THAT ARE NOT RUN OVER BY TRAINS, why don't we put there there?
batatatchugen t1_jd2nxhs wrote
If only those panels could be placed in a more suitable location, where they are not only safe from debris falling and cracking them, but also grin all the vibration of the tracks that would cause micro cracks on them, or all the dust and dirt that would inevitably accumulate over them, or if only they could be placed on a better suited angle.
It's not like this system isn't orders of magnitude more complex, for no good reason, than simply putting the panels overhead, or besides the tracks where there's available space, or in many many other better suited places...
First we had solar roadways, and now it's solar railways, and it's not any less dumb.