electric cycle path anyone?
- Thread starter siadwell
- Start date
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Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
I can't help wondering if it'll be slippy, especially when wet....
I'm all in favour of making use of otherwise empty space (barn roofs etc) for solar panels though.
I'm all in favour of making use of otherwise empty space (barn roofs etc) for solar panels though.
Night Train
Maker of Things
- Location
- Greater Manchester
I'm with Arch on this. Shiny clear glass probably isn't the best road surface.
It would be better if it was on rooftops.
I always wondered why petrol station canopies didn't have solar panels on. It is a huge flat surface that does nothing other then keep motorists dry when filling up so it might has well have fixed to tracking panels on it. It isn't like it would 'damage' the appearance of the petrol station.
Bus shelter roofs are the same deal, they could also be solar generating.
It would be better if it was on rooftops.
I always wondered why petrol station canopies didn't have solar panels on. It is a huge flat surface that does nothing other then keep motorists dry when filling up so it might has well have fixed to tracking panels on it. It isn't like it would 'damage' the appearance of the petrol station.
Bus shelter roofs are the same deal, they could also be solar generating.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Exactly! There are lots of places that panels could go. I guess the panel technology will get lighter and lighter, allowing them to be put on more and more roofs.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I guess fitting on a road is technically easier, as it involves no working at height, less or no structural analysis would be required but like Arch says it could be tricky in the wet.
mark barker
New Member
- Location
- Swindon, Wilts
Surely the surface wouldn't need to be smooth? Crushed glass bonded with some kind of resin could provide grip and still transfer the light so the panels can do their job.
Night Train
Maker of Things
- Location
- Greater Manchester
Efficiency is bad enough with perfectly clear glass. Use crushed glass and resin and it would be useless. This is where solar heating is better as it works in any light and is sometimes better with diffused light.
Maybe it would be better as a canopy over the cycle lane to keep some of the weather off the cyclists.
Maybe it could include induction charging for electric bikes too. That could encourage the use of electric assist cargo bikes and trikes for commercial use.
Better? Efficiency is one thing, but what is the point of heating up water and 'wasting' the energy? I think the value of it on a small scale urban situations is vastly overstated. Solar heating has it's uses, but we live in a mild climate it's not like we should have the need for vast amounts of heated water in small homes. Gas is a precious resource, we shouldn't be wasting that either. We should really be heating up much less water whatever the source.
Reminds me of where ever it was in the middle east that wanted air conditioned canopies over cycle lanes. I like your suggestion altogether more though, however practical it might be.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Well, hot water is quite useful stuff - doing the washing up etc....
Heat it enough, and you can generate power from it anyway.
Wobblers
Euthermic
- Location
- Minkowski Space
Solar cells are around 18% efficient at best. Using solar for heating - either water or space heating - is by far and away the most effective use of solar energy in places like the UK where there is a significant demand for heating throughout much of the year.
Roughening the surface would degrade the output, but not hugely. The biggest issue is that the solar cell surface of the cycle path would be susceptible to damage - it's a tough environment. Getting it to cope with rain and frost would probably not be easy. (Just think of what December's cold snap has done to the road surfaces!)
