Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Bike Path Project

It's little short news segment that appeared on ARD (public German TV, Channel One) yesterday.  The video is embedded at the site I listed.

Basically, some innovative folks have designed a solar collection cell....which you'd put down flat on the ground.  And what they have done for their first project?  A bike path segment, which is 90 meters (300 ft) which not only collects solar energy, but also heats the path to some degree (melting snow or ice in the winter).  The amount generated by this 300 ft long and six-feet wide path?  Enough to handle one single German house in a normal year.

The odd thing in this report....they avoid the cost of the project.  My humble guess?  This 300 by 6 feet path area?  Probably over 100,000 Euro.

But I sat and looked at the material 'sheet' that they had and kinda wondered.....why couldn't you cover a house with this rubber-like collector 'pads'?  With no shrubbery around a house and collecting all year round.....you might be able to generate all the power you need.

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