The world’s first solar road for public use

Soon, the Netherlands’ traffic lights and electric cars could be powered by solar panels embedded into the country’s 140,000 kilometres of road. For now, the densely-populated nation enjoys the title of the world’s first country to open a solar road for public use.

Approximately 2,000 cyclists use the bike path which connects the Amsterdam suburbs of Wormerveer and Krommenie on an average day, but now it has become even more useful; in November 2014, the cycle path became the world’s first public road with embedded solar panels. 

According to The Guardian, the road which cost around €3 million is made up of rows of crystalline silicon solar cells coated with a translucent layer of tempered glass. The non-adhesive finish plus an imperceptible tilt help the rain wash out dirt and keep the road clean to ensure maximal exposure to sunlight. The downside of the road is that it cannot be adjusted to the sun’s position, which means that the panels produce about 30 per cent less energy than those fixed on to roofs. However, when the path is extended to 100 metres next year, it could produce enough energy to power three households.

The Guardian quoted Sten de Wit of the TNO research institute saying that up to 20 per cent of the country’s roads could potentially be adapted. Tests have seen the solar panel units carry the weight of heavy vehicles such as tractors.

Still, the Netherlands is not the only country flirting with the idea of solar roads. Two U.S. engineers, Idaho couple Scott and Julie Brusaw have been creating solar panelling units for road use for almost a decade and, in 2009, their company Solar Roadways received a contract from America’s Federal Highway Administration to develop a prototype. In March 2014, the duo replaced their own parking lot with solar-panelled units and raised US$2.2 million to put their design into production.

A report by Arup Group Limited titled Future of Highways looks at the implications of trends and themes such as climate change, rapid urbanisation, changes in human behaviour and resource depletion up to 2050 and how these factors will shape roads in the future. Arup indicates that surfaces could be replaced with advanced solar panels which would generate clean and renewable power. The panels would also contain LED lighting and heating elements to melt the snow. The report released late last year also anticipates the use of temperature-sensitive paint on roads to indicate a drop in temperatures and icy conditions.

According to the Solar Roadways website, the United States would generate three times as much energy as it currently uses if all the roads in the country were converted to solar roadways. Plus, the website claims greenhouse gases could be cut by 75 per cent. The company’s first public installations are expected this spring.

Source : http://www.australiannationalreview.com/worlds-solar-road-public/