[pstuart]

More solar is good, but we have space for it elsewhere. It's cheaper and easier to have roads be "plain old roads".

[bigbubba]

I think that's the point. The 'technology' seems optimized for creating hype on reddit, not actually being commercially viable.

[pstuart]

If it worked readily/economically enough as envisioned the hype would be well justified.

Solar roadways only value add is "we found more space to put panels" and that's not a serious problem as there's plenty of space for that.

Roads are already costly and this would just make it worse.

[bigbubba]

I think the hype comes mostly from credulous futurists who love the sci-fi aesthetic, not from people who actually think critically about the potential of the technology. It takes a serious suspension of critical thinking to believe roads made out of solar panels isn't a really dumb idea.