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RE: CHINA- THE HOME OF THE LARGEST FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANT
But you have to consider that you're going to have vehicles driving on it, like all the time, as well as the fact that solar panels generate a lot less energy when laid flat on the ground, versus at a fixed angle or, better yet, one that changes throughout the day to maximize exposure.
Even if the rubber from the tires didn't scratch whatever is covering the solar panels, anything harder than the glass covering that gets caught in the treads will, not to mention skid marks and what-have-you. Every time it gets scratched or smudged, the efficiency decreases further.
Yes, the pylons are expensive, but the amount of efficiency measures you give up and maintenance costs you takeon make it not worth it.
I think they are made of a guerrilla materials or something, and they are made to charge electric cars. I made a post about somewhere in Germany that made that available for electric cars....
Ah, Gorilla Glass. I just looked it up, and it is orders of magnitude better than regular glass. In terms of hardness, it's a tiny bit softer than quartz, and apparently it's actually not too expensive to produce.
Still, all sorts of rocks and gravel can end up in tire treads, and while they'd likely last quite a while, they'd nevertheless build up scratches over time, reducing efficiency along with anything else that ends up reducing exposure to the panels, on top of the already ~60% decrease in efficiency from them being laid flat in the ground.
Not only does the glass have to be as tough and durable as asphalt, it has to be tough and durable enough to stay transparent long enough to give a ROI on whatever the cost of both the glass and the panel itself is.
wish i could dig out that post i made, it's been long though.
This arrays on the road covers just a portion of the road, not very long distance and it is specified for cars that uses electricity, meaning few cars move on it to get recharged.
Now about efficiency, i think it is designed to be replaced after some specific period to combat the inefficiency problem.