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Filling the Tank With Sun
Author: BobR    Date: 12/13/2010 04:57:44

Sometimes an idea comes along that changes life the way we know it. Sometimes two different ideas come along that are both smart in their own right, but when combined become brilliant. Sometimes that change is driven by the commercial sector. Here in America, that kind of revolutionary change is often propelled or buried, depending on who profits and who lobbies the government the hardest.

Electric cars are once again being considered by many Americans, with the greatest stumbling block being the time and difficulty required for charging them when away from home. Who wants to buy an electric car that can only be "safely" driven 50-100 miles? Most people don't want that kind of virtual leash. But what if you could drive an electric car from coast to coast without ever even stopping to recharge it?... and you knew that it was being charged with solar power the whole way? It's feasible, if you combine two separate ideas being proposed.

The first idea is being tested in London. What they are doing is installing electro-magnetic wires in the roads themselves, and then outfitting the electric cars with electro-magnetic induction chargers (this is the same technology used to charge rechargeable toothbrushes, etc). This is set to debut on parts of England's M-25 highway:
The UK is gearing up for a green transportation revolution as the first wireless electric car charger was recently launched in London. The IPT (Induction Power Transfer) is the world’s first commercially-available wireless electric car charging system, and is the flagship product of recent start-up company HaloIPT. The company’s unique charging system has been described as the safest, most efficient and most effective way to transfer power without wires.

The company is planning to electrify parts of England’s M25 motorway by using magnetic induction, a principle that was first discovered in the 1800s. The Inductive Power Transfer system allows a car fitted with a simple integrated receiver pad to be charged automatically when parked or driven on roads with HaloIPT’s special charging pads beneath their surface. If major road routes such as the M25 are ‘electrified’, then it will greatly increase the range and the appeal of electric vehicles.

The IPT is designed to be compatible with all vehicles (including eBikes and heavy goods vehicles), and it has been designed to function under any weather conditions — even if the driver doesn’t align the car properly with the pads embedded in the asphalt.

Naturally, this would require an investment in infrastructure, something the American political system is loathe to do. Who would pay for the electricty? Who would benefit? Suppose the electricity was provided by solar power? With that the case, it would cost no one beyond the initial investment and maintenance. A California couple has an idea to solve that one:
The Solar Roadway is a series of structurally-engineered solar panels that are driven upon. The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads, parking lots, and driveways with Solar Road Panels that collect energy to be used by our homes and businesses. Our ultimate goal is to be able to store excess energy in or alongside the Solar Roadways. This renewable energy replaces the need for the current fossil fuels used for the generation of electricity. This, in turn, cuts greenhouse gases literally in half.

Road Surface Layer - translucent and high-strength, it is rough enough to provide great traction, yet still passes sunlight through to the solar collector cells embedded within, along with LEDs and a heating element. It is capable of handling today's heaviest loads under the worst of conditions. Weatherproof, it protects the electronics layer beneath it.

Electronics Layer - Contains a microprocessor board with support circuitry for sensing loads on the surface and controlling a heating element. No more snow/ice removal and no more school/business closings due to inclement weather. The on-board microprocessor controls lighting, communications, monitoring, etc. With a communications device every 12 feet, the Solar Roadway is an intelligent highway system.

Base Plate LayerLayer - While the electronics layer collects energy from the sun, it is the base plate layer that distributes power (collected from the electronics layer) and data signals (phone, TV, internet, etc.) "downline" to all homes and businesses connected to the Solar Roadway. Weatherproof, it protects the electronics layer above it.

Naturally, there are a lot of engineering and practical issues here. How scarce are the materials used to build solar cells? Would the solar road be able to generate enough power to keep a car going indefinitely? (Probably not. But it might be able to deliver enough power to extend a car's range from 2-3 hrs to 7-8 hrs... And THAT would be enough to eliminate the fear of buying one).

The bigger question is - can it even get consideration in today's political climate, with politicians bought and paid for by corporations (such as the oil companies that will lose big-time with this)? It's sad to consider that our Jetsons' future could be withheld so easily.

 

27 comments (Latest Comment: 12/14/2010 04:36:10 by BobR)
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Comment by BobR on 12/13/2010 14:11:00
Sorry gang - it seems there's a bug in the blog editing software that sets a date value incorrectly, and this keeps it from displaying. I will look into that today.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 14:11:19
Morning



Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 14:12:21
I was wondering about that - thought maybe the elves slept in this morning

Comment by TriSec on 12/13/2010 14:17:45
Greetings, comrades!

The interstates belong to the Feds, no? That will never happen.

But what if the City of Boston redid all the municipal roads with the new technology? And then the Commonwealth of Mass did all the state roads (and tied it in to the Cape Wind project, too?)

Of course, somebody would have to profit by this, so how would we charge that? Per hour? Per miles driven?

Good for England. Maybe some good will come of it.



Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 14:40:26
Hey Tri, I hear ya'll have some tough looking pink feather dusters up there - Caught on Camera: Feather duster vs machete

Comment by TriSec on 12/13/2010 14:45:47
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey Tri, I hear ya'll have some tough looking pink feather dusters up there - Caught on Camera: Feather duster vs machete


Don't mess with Walthamites!

(That's Veronica's....it's on upper Main Street in a tougher part of town. Hate to say it, but near the projects on Prospect Hill.)



Comment by Raine on 12/13/2010 14:45:59
Achoo!

Comment by BobR on 12/13/2010 14:57:46
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey Tri, I hear ya'll have some tough looking pink feather dusters up there - Caught on Camera: Feather duster vs machete


Don't mess with Walthamites!

(That's Veronica's....it's on upper Main Street in a tougher part of town. Hate to say it, but near the projects on Prospect Hill.)




Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 15:10:11
Quote by BobR:
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by wickedpam:
Hey Tri, I hear ya'll have some tough looking pink feather dusters up there - Caught on Camera: Feather duster vs machete


Don't mess with Walthamites!

(That's Veronica's....it's on upper Main Street in a tougher part of town. Hate to say it, but near the projects on Prospect Hill.)





Hey, every town has a projects area - for us its Geogretown South - I think its more a reflect on the wussieness of the robbers then the neighborhood

Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 15:10:29
Quote by Raine:
Achoo!


Bless you


Comment by Raine on 12/13/2010 15:22:12
never bring a Knife to a Feather duster Fight!

Comment by TriSec on 12/13/2010 15:30:30
www.budk.com

Just sayin'.....



Comment by TriSec on 12/13/2010 15:33:10
Comment by Raine on 12/13/2010 15:43:25
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Achoo!


Bless you

Danke. I am feeling like poop today. I may go back to the couch.

Comment by TriSec on 12/13/2010 15:59:21
I feel old.

We were chattering in the bike shop at the store yesterday after it died down....one of my dear co-workers was born 2 years after I graduated high school.

That's not the sad part; he claims to be a "staunch" Republican. At such a young age, too.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 16:00:56
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Achoo!


Bless you

Danke. I am feeling like poop today. I may go back to the couch.




peppermint tea - it always makes me feel better

Comment by livingonli on 12/13/2010 17:11:47
Good day everyone. I am feeling old which is probably why these late hours are screwing with my body,

Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 17:39:15
am I the only one who thinks Thom is a fatalist?

Comment by BobR on 12/13/2010 17:46:02
Quote by wickedpam:
am I the only one who thinks Thom is a fatalist?

He's finally figured out that trashing Obama is not going to help the Left. What I find short-sighted about "a progressive Dem in every race" is that the progressive Dems are not going to win in more conservative states. If we want to retain (and regain) a majority, it will mean the necessity of having conservative Dems in conservative states. Otherwise, we are handing the hammer to the Republicans.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/13/2010 17:54:41
Quote by BobR:
Quote by wickedpam:
am I the only one who thinks Thom is a fatalist?

He's finally figured out that trashing Obama is not going to help the Left. What I find short-sighted about "a progressive Dem in every race" is that the progressive Dems are not going to win in more conservative states. If we want to retain (and regain) a majority, it will mean the necessity of having conservative Dems in conservative states. Otherwise, we are handing the hammer to the Republicans.



as much as I dislike conserva-Dems I do understand the need for them

Comment by Raine on 12/13/2010 19:12:17
this is a TRULY loony caller on Thom right now.

Comment by Raine on 12/13/2010 20:41:12
Randi just said:

Imagine if the Metrodome were sponsored by Viagra, or AIG -- or Lehman Brothers.





Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/13/2010 23:28:26
A federal court judge in Virginia declared a key provision in the health care law to be unconstitutional. It would have been much easier to have had Medicare Part E -- Medicare for Everyone rather than requiring all Americans to purchase health care insurance.

The President should worry that this will be taken to a Supreme Court where several justices are likely to back this judge's ruling. Considering such rulings as Citizens United and Bush v. Gore, I do not see how the current Supreme Court majority would not rule against the administration. Somewhere, the Republican leadership must be getting ready to dance as they are probably counting down the days till the November 2012 election.

Here are some details from MSNBC:
Judge strikes down key part of health care law

Decision poses setback for Obama; case likely to go to Supreme Court
msnbc.com news services

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul was thrown into uncertainty Monday by a federal judge's decision to declare its central provision unconstitutional. Almost certainly headed to the Supreme Court, the issue hands ammunition to Republican opponents as they try to repeal the far-reaching law in the new Congress.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson marked the first time that portions of the new law have been struck down. The decision follows earlier rulings by Democratic appointees in favor of the law.

Read the Va. judge's ruling on the health care law (.pdf)

Hudson declared that the law's central requirement for nearly all Americans to carry insurance is unconstitutional, well beyond Congress' power under the Constitution's Commerce Clause or other provisions. He denied requests to strike down the law in its entirety or block it from being implemented while his ruling is appealed by the administration.



So, it seems that Obama took another "shellacking" today.

Comment by livingonli on 12/13/2010 23:58:04
Quote by Will in Chicago:
A federal court judge in Virginia declared a key provision in the health care law to be unconstitutional. It would have been much easier to have had Medicare Part E -- Medicare for Everyone rather than requiring all Americans to purchase health care insurance.

The President should worry that this will be taken to a Supreme Court where several justices are likely to back this judge's ruling. Considering such rulings as Citizens United and Bush v. Gore, I do not see how the current Supreme Court majority would not rule against the administration. Somewhere, the Republican leadership must be getting ready to dance as they are probably counting down the days till the November 2012 election.

Here are some details from MSNBC:
Judge strikes down key part of health care law

Decision poses setback for Obama; case likely to go to Supreme Court
msnbc.com news services

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul was thrown into uncertainty Monday by a federal judge's decision to declare its central provision unconstitutional. Almost certainly headed to the Supreme Court, the issue hands ammunition to Republican opponents as they try to repeal the far-reaching law in the new Congress.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson marked the first time that portions of the new law have been struck down. The decision follows earlier rulings by Democratic appointees in favor of the law.

Read the Va. judge's ruling on the health care law (.pdf)

Hudson declared that the law's central requirement for nearly all Americans to carry insurance is unconstitutional, well beyond Congress' power under the Constitution's Commerce Clause or other provisions. He denied requests to strike down the law in its entirety or block it from being implemented while his ruling is appealed by the administration.



So, it seems that Obama took another "shellacking" today.

I posted a link on my facebook page which shows the judge has a stake in Republican causes and probably should have recused himself.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/14/2010 02:40:30
Livingonli, judges really don't recuse themselves like they used to years ago. Scalia had a son working for the Bush campaign in 2000. He also went hunting with Dick Cheney when there was a case involving him before the court.

Comment by livingonli on 12/14/2010 02:53:21
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Livingonli, judges really don't recuse themselves like they used to years ago. Scalia had a son working for the Bush campaign in 2000. He also went hunting with Dick Cheney when there was a case involving him before the court.

Which of course proves that Conservative judges are the biggest activist judges around.

Comment by BobR on 12/14/2010 04:36:10
Quote by Will in Chicago:
A federal court judge in Virginia declared a key provision in the health care law to be unconstitutional. It would have been much easier to have had Medicare Part E -- Medicare for Everyone rather than requiring all Americans to purchase health care insurance.

The President should worry that this will be taken to a Supreme Court where several justices are likely to back this judge's ruling. Considering such rulings as Citizens United and Bush v. Gore, I do not see how the current Supreme Court majority would not rule against the administration. Somewhere, the Republican leadership must be getting ready to dance as they are probably counting down the days till the November 2012 election.

Here are some details from MSNBC:
Judge strikes down key part of health care law

Decision poses setback for Obama; case likely to go to Supreme Court
msnbc.com news services

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul was thrown into uncertainty Monday by a federal judge's decision to declare its central provision unconstitutional. Almost certainly headed to the Supreme Court, the issue hands ammunition to Republican opponents as they try to repeal the far-reaching law in the new Congress.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson marked the first time that portions of the new law have been struck down. The decision follows earlier rulings by Democratic appointees in favor of the law.

Read the Va. judge's ruling on the health care law (.pdf)

Hudson declared that the law's central requirement for nearly all Americans to carry insurance is unconstitutional, well beyond Congress' power under the Constitution's Commerce Clause or other provisions. He denied requests to strike down the law in its entirety or block it from being implemented while his ruling is appealed by the administration.

So, it seems that Obama took another "shellacking" today.

Two other judges have deemed it Constitutional, so would imagine that will be considered as "precedent" by the SCOTUS

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