SOLAR ROADWAYS
The solar roads or Wattway will be produced by French company Colas. The technology provides for the application of 7 mm of thickness solar panels made of polycrystalline silicon on the existing asphalt. The photovoltaic cells will be resistant to the transportation means of any weight and to the rain.
Installation is simple and does not require too much work. The cost, on the other hand, is rather high. The project will cost between 200 and 300 million euros
Solar roads are not a novelty in Europe and in the world: the Netherlands already in 2014 inaugurated a cycle path of 70 meters between Krommenie and Wormerveer covered with solar panels. The Dutch project has had considerable success, even exceeding expectations. The cycle path in the first six months of life has produced 3000 kWh of electricity, enough power to meet the energy needs of a house for a year. The track will be 100m long by the end of the year.
If we think of how many roads there are in the world, the endless kilometers of asphalt, and the fact that they are occupied only 10% of the time by vehicles, solar roads represent a fundamental innovation. They allow to recover the asphalt, transforming it from polluting to eco-friendly, and produce green energy without spoiling natural landscapes and without removing the land to agriculture.
