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63 Comments
- flxfxp, on 01/04/2008, -0/+16Yay for the dutch!
- jquipp, on 01/04/2008, -0/+12Anything to save energy!
- chris4404, on 01/04/2008, -0/+11Its amazing how energy prices and creative energy saving techniques are correlated.
- wocca, on 01/04/2008, -0/+10Brilliant... I'm hoping this takes off in the years to come and the energy can be stored, long term.
- xdcdx, on 01/04/2008, -0/+8Dugg by the use of the original Associated Press source rather than some lame spam blog.
- pintomp3, on 01/04/2008, -0/+7dutch oven.
- Magicmasta, on 01/04/2008, -0/+7the heat has a solar origin.
- EricAnderton, on 01/04/2008, -0/+5You *do* need this in AZ. Especially since you can't feasably put PV arrays over every parking lot and roadway.
Any time you have a large thermal gradient, there is an opportunity to generate motion or electricity; the roads in AZ get hotter than bedrock or air, right? In this case, the roads could heat water (or something with a lower boiling point like acetone) to drive a turbine in order to run an A/C compressor or alternator. Cooling the coolant is as simple as a radiator, cooling tower or an underground cooling chamber. Use of a stirling engine instead of a turbine would make this even more efficient.
And there you have it: off-grid air-conditioning for nearby buildings on hot days. - jawadde, on 01/04/2008, -0/+5storing energy is the key to ANY longterm solution. The day we can store electricity gained by summer sun for loong enough time, we're done with fuel-heating our homes.
- principle, on 01/04/2008, -0/+5Geothermal power
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power - take2, on 01/04/2008, -0/+5The energy, in the form of heat, is stored in water deep underground and retrieved when needed, even months later.
- dimplemonkey, on 01/04/2008, -0/+5I thought they were those wood shoes to prevent their feet from burning up and if they did get burned, then they would tell the little boy to stop fingering the dyke and let the water flow upon them.
- Ninnux, on 01/04/2008, -0/+4@chris4404 :: The market economy predicts there is a market, given the associated technology exists or is feasible, at a particular price point. Economics 101. So, as gas prices rise as demand rises, stuff that wasn't possible before become possible later. I think the price point for making sand oil feasible is up around 5.00 a gallon. Something like that.
- sindex, on 01/04/2008, -1/+5This has the added benefit of "sealing in" all the rich nutrients in the soil underneath, which can then be retrieved by future generations. Brilliant!
- inactive, on 01/04/2008, -1/+5Europeans look for alternative energy resources, Americans invade countries to take over energy resources... much more simpler than doing all that research and stuff...
- bills534, on 01/04/2008, -0/+4Maybe this Dutch form of power can be used to run an oven?
they can call it a Dutch oven - hiPpymIck, on 01/04/2008, -1/+4there was a comment on another site..
theres unusual geology locally so they can store the summer heat energy and use it in winter - so its not a general solution
nice ingenuity tho - johanvm, on 01/04/2008, -0/+3A detailed PDF by Ooms (the Dutch -engineering- company) is available:
http://www.roadenergysystems.nl/pdf/RES%20(E).pdf - hiPpymIck, on 01/04/2008, -0/+3ive now read TFA..
am i stupid or is this just two natural underground reservoirs.. one hot - one cold
in summer they use the cold one to pump water to cool buildings and stop the road softening (sending the heated-up water to the hot reservoir)
in winter they use the hot one to pump water to heat buildings and stop the road getting icy (sending the cooled-down water to to the cold reservoir)
so its nothing to do with solar power or storing energy..or am i missing something - varun1s, on 01/04/2008, -1/+4Cool. Its another form of solar-thermal energy that would be othewise dissipated into surroundings.
- krnldmp, on 01/04/2008, -0/+3Actually there are currently in production highly effective systems for cooling with waste heat and solar but they are large capacity designed for big buildings. One of the things I look forward to in the near future is the scaling down of this for residential installations. Incidentally, it's smarter to attempt recovering heat from roofing surfaces since they can be thermally enclosed and better isolated than a road which must have it's surface exposed for traffic.
- inactive, on 01/04/2008, -4/+7So that is all we have to do. Pave over as many fields as we can, raze forests to get as much of the Earth's surface covered in asphalt as we possibly can.
- eggraid, on 01/04/2008, -0/+3Well we do in Montreal! Boy if we could melt that snow with heat stored from summer!
- CraigJ, on 01/04/2008, -0/+2that would work well here in Phoenix.
- Gndoab, on 01/04/2008, -1/+3US citizens and companies have invested more in alternative sources of energy then any other country. Know your facts before spouting dribble.
- noahhoward, on 01/04/2008, -1/+3You know this brings up a question I've had. Has anyone looked at our paved infrastructure as a source of the recent increase in warming? The production and expansion of paved roads seemingly lines up pretty well with the "hockey stick" graph and we all know asphalt and concrete retain heat and release it overnight. It seems entirely plausible that we're simply not giving the opportunity for the temperature to drop as much anymore.
- inactive, on 01/05/2008, -0/+2Its amazing how much energy you can save taking heat from roof tiles and storing it (in saline brine tanks) and then using it through winter...Better yet, it can melt the snow rapidly in reverse...My energy bill for heating during winter was 90 dollars AU...
- Logicexe, on 01/04/2008, -0/+2They have probably accounted for this when measuring the "Heat Island" effect around cities. It's a well known phenomenon. I don't know this for a fact though, it just seems kind of obvious.
- boflaade, on 01/05/2008, -0/+2So what's your point?
- inactive, on 01/04/2008, -1/+3Now you are thinking outside the box!
- thespudmall, on 01/04/2008, -2/+4Like we need that in phoenix. pfft...
- krnldmp, on 01/04/2008, -0/+2I understand, but the problem is not exactly as you imagine. The ability to lose the heat is most critical. So long as the radiation is not reflected back it is lost very quickly and efficiently. Try an Arizona desert night for demonstration. Bring a coat.
- geekchic, on 01/04/2008, -2/+4Using "road heat" has actually been around for well over a decade in various guises - so I am a bit disapointed with the exclamation mark usage on the submission title.
It's interesting to see its usage spread, but it isn't quite *that* exciting. - EricAnderton, on 01/04/2008, -0/+2I don't think it accounts for global warming, but it does contribute to the "heat island" effect in urbanized areas. If you live near a big city, you'll notice on the weather reports that the temperatures for downtown are usually 1-2 degrees F higher than the burbs for this reason.
- Asrrin29, on 01/04/2008, -0/+2dugg for not being blog spam and having a coherent article with no ads. (well, at least no ads that get around adblock plus :) )
- Typhoon2009, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1I know... I'm talking about the enjoying putting my feet on hot sand / pavement part.
- sindex, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1no, being a vacationing beach bum 2 weeks a year doesn't make you a sadist.
- Typhoon2009, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1Maybe I'm a sadist but I love walking from the hot sand on the beach to the house / hotel I'm staying at (during vacation) in my barefeet, stepping on the hot pavement then dipping my feet into a pool (if there is one) before sliding into the house / hotel and drinking a nice Snapple Peach Iced Tea and listening to music.
- Wonderama, on 01/04/2008, -1/+2BUT THIS IS DIGG!!
- jonnyboy1544, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1And we all know who makes asphalt right? Our good friends at the oil industry.
- Conwaysb0718, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1Why isnt the University of Phoenix stadium covered in solar panels?
- ithejosh, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1Brilliant! Now just wait for government to regulate it......
- fracktica, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1Oh, shut up.
- boflaade, on 01/05/2008, -0/+1The US has to think of it first or it's not worth learning.
- CraigJ, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1It was 34 degrees (F) in Scottsdale last week
- tont0r, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1[insert standard the US can learn something from our dutch friends]
- boflaade, on 01/05/2008, -0/+1Can you give an example? It's disappointing you mention it, without explaining these various guises.
- Vorcht, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1I, for one, welcome our Dutch energy-snatching overlords.
- thecatcantalk, on 01/07/2008, -0/+1Umm, Americans *invented* solar panels (Bell Labs). You're quite welcome. As I recall, Dutch maritime imperialism was a famously nasty affair, in its day. See, I actually remember that from history class, 'cause I wasn't busy smoking dope and drinking Grolsch at soccer matches, where visiting English fans would beat my friends like $5 hookers on a regular basis.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1The Heat Island effect is real, and in aggregate, probably contributes to GW but I don't know how much.
It seems pretty obvious to me, that all the dark tar and asphalt based roads and roofs can have a big influence. We could probably do a lot just by passing laws on how much infra-red new structures had to reflect.
Even better would be cheap materials and paints that could change their IR reflection/absorption based upon temperature. -
Show 51 - 63 of 63 discussions
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