Solar Roads are very Practical : Can solve world’s energy problems

While a good idea in theory, solar roads are not a practical solution for power generation because, as Daniel cited, wear, tear and grime would make them overly expensive to maintain. A better idea, I would think, would be to put solar on the roof tops of commercial and residential building as this would greatly reduce the need for infrastructure and would allow people to be independent of central power failure.

It would also allow people to have free or very cheap energy and would pave the way for hydrogen and electric vehicles that could be conveniently charged from home.

Of course as history has shown us when there is no way to meter and charge for energy unscrupulous enterpriser will put a stop to it.

Then again maybe this is a very forward idea considering the fact that hydrogen cars with their constant output of water exhaust would destroy all asphalt roads, rendering the material useless, and petroleum production would also decrease for lack of primary demand, which in turn would make rubber tires (and other petroleum byproducts) prohibitively expensive.

Solar panels are inefficient enough as it is!! how are they gonna perform with road grime on them, rubber and dust and exhaust particulate laid down, how the hell are cars gonna go on wet silicone?! im not gonna say these arent things that can potentially be overcome, but at what cost! do you really want to be replacing 100 mtrs of solar panel each and every time a major crash occurs? they might be able to be built to take the weight of an 18 wheeler, but what about when it tips over and drops its 30 ton load of steel onto it with force...

i am hearing about this for the first time. I have heard about piezoelectric crystals generating power at roads and at pathways but htis is novel to me.

Is this for real ?

Silicon is the second most common element in the Earth's crust, comprising 25.7% of the Earth’s crust by weight.
So it will never vanish by constructing a road. Google silicone abundance.

If we do this all the silicone on the earth is gona vanish in no time...