The french government s bold plan to pave 1 000km of highways with photovoltaic panels over five years seems unlikely to go ahead following the failure of a trial solar road in normandy.
Failed solar panel road.
However for the time being the cost still remains too high.
Welcome to solar roadways solar roadways sr is a modular system of specially engineered solar panels that can be walked and driven upon.
The panels have microprocessors which makes them intelligent.
France s failed solar roadway the wattway in france consists of 2 800 photovoltaic panels running the length of one kilometer 0 62 miles stretching from the small town of tourouvre au perche.
According to french newspaper le monde the roadway building effort failed in part because the.
They contain heating elements to prevent snow and ice accumulation.
The solar roadway is constructed from panels with a special silicon resin acting as the driving surface and while its designer a company called colas claimed it would stand up to a semi truck.
Le monde describes the road as pale with its ragged joints with solar panels that peel off the road and the many splinters that enamel resin protecting photovoltaic cells it s a poor sign for.
Instead it was making just under 80 000 in 2018 and fewer than 40 000 by july 2019.
Nearly three years after france built a 0 6 mile stretch of photovoltaic road in normandy the government is deeming it a disappointing experiment.
Thunderstorms also reportedly broke solar panels on the road.
A 1km 0 6 mile route in the small village of tourouvre au perche covered with 2 800 sq m of.
Our panels contain led lights to create lines and signage without paint.
Solar power highways are hitting a roadblock.
Now some years after the first solar roads opened for business they re well an abysmal failure.
France has opened what it claims to be the world s first solar panel road in a normandy village.