I'd be willing to bet that it made an impression. Though, admittedly, it probably made more of an impression on the younger viewers - which means it might not lead to any immediate changes in policy. Still, it was a powerful, clear, direct, and emotional voice - and that, no doubt, will influence the conversation.
"Do what they do"... Anyway, I have it recorded and probably wont be able to watch it until Tuesday evening.
I certainly hope so. It is absolutely vital that we switch to better alternative energy sources, and as Neil, along with many other scientists, would say, the Sun's right there, providing free energy, more than we will ever need, and will do so for billions of years.
A must-see video: http://elitedaily.com/news/technolo...oadways-worth-funding-video-will-help/604220/ If we converted the entire US highway system to this solar roadway technology, it would provide three times as much energy as the US currently uses -- not only cutting our carbon footprint enormously, but ending our dependence on foreign oil. We should mobilize a massive federal project to do this, tantamount to the building of the original interstate highway system. (Which would also create a ton of new jobs and stimulate the economy.) But the odds of getting Congress to go along with any big government project are pretty much zero at the present time.
Here come the light pollution folks... I watched this vid and it's very intriging. I'm not sure the feasability of this surface being used on freeways, but just think of the benifits of using it in sidewalks, driveways and local roads. I'm liking the concept.
Agreed. Like I've said before, I could live without hoverboards and flying cars, if we could actually have solar roadways.
THANK YOU for this! This was an inspiration. What a wonderful idea. And to think that this technology is, literally, within our grasp and the only thing standing between us and using it is ... our collective will to do so. The odds of getting this Congress to do anything about this might be close to zero, but who knows what the future will hold if we promote this - with words (and funds, when possible)? Because even if this isn't the basic design that ultimately gets used, promoting and funding this project will perfect the design and lead to an even better, more efficient final design. Sure, there are a ton of logistical issues - I imagine "repaving" a roadway with these panels is tantamount to rebuilding it, meaning it'd have to be closed so that the panels' infrastructure can be built. But done in stages? Using the energy savings from installed roads to fund new installations? It certainly a plausible, realistic endeavor.
It was a very young Darren McGavin. What an excellent episode. We should make every member of Congress sit and watch the entire thing. Not that they'd do anything, but at least they couldn't say they didn't know.
I work in a large warehouse that has forklifts and automated forklifts, and I'm seeing a huge amount of floor damage from these vehicles that routinely follow a set path. They talk about the panels meeting the FHWA impact requirements, but I'm curious how these panels would hold up to a repeated high volume impact of thousands upon thousands of cars. And while these panels look really really really cool, I'd think it would be cheaper to put solar panels somewhere like here:
Well, the panels are modular, so it looks like they could be replaced pretty easily if they were damaged. And they'd be less susceptible to damage from freezing and thawing, since they maintain a warm temperature.
I got a bit choked up with Neil's "we stood on the shoulders of those that did the hard work" comment. Just imagine if each of us on this little dot could put aside our differences and collectively knuckle down to reform this world we are fortunate enough to inhabit? So many possibilities.
It takes many billions of dollars annually to maintain our current roadway system, why not spend that money maintaining something that actually helps keep the earth viable for the human race?
Good point. The roads need to be steadily repaired anyway, so why not just turn the repair crews into upgrade crews and actually improve on what we have? There are so many advantages to this idea.
Just think of all the lives that could be saved by it's ability to show that deer are crossing. Also all avoid all the damage those antlered bastards cause to cars.
My one concern is that all those animated lights dancing around on the road surface might attract cats...
Great episode, and I was glad to see the writers try to anticipate many of the arguments from the deniers, such as the warming being caused by sun activity or volcanoes, or it just being part of the natural cycle of the Earth. Although with the limited running time they obviously couldn't fit in everything. I do think they might have overplayed their hand a bit with the Venus comparison though. Even though Tyson makes it clear towards the end that the situation could never become that bad, and Venus has it's own special circumstances, there will probably still be some who complain about it being just the usual "overly alarmist" rhetoric as always.