I dont understand all these "we should put solar panels in x". Sure, we could but that would be less efficient than using proper conventional solar panels. It isnt as if we dont have enough land area for solar panels, that is not the bottleneck, there is plenty of land.

We had those stupid solar roads, now this. I dont understand. At least transparent solar panels might have some niche uses.

[–] the_q@lemm.ee 6 points 8 months ago

I think the idea here is vertical space > horizontal space.

[–] 0ops@lemm.ee 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

At some point they could become cheap enough that it's less about absolutely optimal efficiency and more of a "might as well" thing.

[–] NIB@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Yeah, maybe. I definitely think this is more useful than solar roads.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 3 points 8 months ago

It’s also an aesthetic thing. In addition to that some houses don’t have enough land or roof space for panels but do for windows. This opens up a lot of possibilities, especially in cities

[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You're forgetting about transmission. That's one of the biggest hurdles towards a solar future. Putting the generation right next to where the power is used is much more efficient both in transmission, infrastructure and maintenance.

[–] NIB@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I actually had written a sentence about solar panels being closer to where the power consumption is, as an advantage. But that also implies that you are localizing other parts too, things like batteries. Which is feasible but it complicates things.

[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 1 points 8 months ago

Not necessarily, you can hook them right up to the grid.

[–] Obelix@feddit.org 0 points 8 months ago

Exactly this - there is enough land around where you can build solar. Put it over your parking spaces. Every solar farm is better than a corn field. Use those big industrial roofs. There is enough space