France to build 1,000km of solar roads

France is to install 1,000 km of solar roads over the next five years as part of its bid to supply renewable energy to 5 million people.

The Wattway photovoltaic panels are only 7 mm thick making it possible for them to be applied on top of the existing road surface without any need for rebuilding works.

A test of the technology at Grenoble, which subjected the panels to the equivalent of 20 years of traffic, showed them to be weather-proof and tough enough to survive being driven over by a snow plough.

It is estimated that 20 square metres of Wattway panels could generate enough power for a single French home, not including heating. However, critics of solar powered roads argue that roof-top panels are a more reliable, safe and cost effective means of generating electricity.

Solar roads

The French scheme is a well-funded joint enterprise involving construction company, Colas, and the National Institute of Solar Energy, but the technology is nothing if not accessible. Similar designs are emerging from small, self-financed engineers. Scott and Julie Brusaw spent eight years developing solar roads technology in their back yard before the American public donated over £1 m to the project. The Solar Roadways project is a modular solar roads paving system.

The glass panels are robust enough to withstand the pressure from an articulated lorry and designed to be installed on roads, car parks, drives, pavements, cycle lanes or playgrounds.

As well as generating electricity to go into the grid, the toughened glass panels include heating elements to prevent ice, LEDs to show road lines and signage, and a roadside cable corridor to store and treat polluted storm water and house power and data cables.

According to its designers, implementation of the Solar Roadways project on a grand scale would provide ice, snow and pothole-free illuminated roads. If there was danger ahead from a crash, the intelligent road could detect this and warn drivers to slow down.

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