Highways ... supply electricity to 800 households

Recently, China has opened a test of 1km. The route could generate 1 million kWh of electricity a year, enough to meet the needs of 800 households.

The test road belongs to the ring road around the city. Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, eastern China.

Solar highway in China. (Photo: Reuters)

At the test site, placed underneath the pavement a special material undergoes a large and transparent load to allow sunlight to penetrate. The panels installed on an area of 5,875m ² can generate 1 million kWh per year, enough to meet the daily needs of about 800 households.

The project developer said the project would help save space on building solar farms and shorten the transmission distance.

The electricity generated during this test will be used to light up highways, billboards, tunnels, powering surveillance cameras and barriers at tolls. . Excess electricity will be connected to the national power grid.

In the future, the project will be developed with more capabilities, including the provision of mobile charging for electric vehicles and internet connections.

The road consists of three layers: the transparent 'concrete' layer at the top, the middle layer of which is thin, non-profile thin silicon sheets and the bottom layer is waterproof. Implementers do not disclose the cost of the project, but say only half of similar projects abroad.

France was the first country in the world to plan a photovoltaic development with the first test line located in the Normandy village of Tourouvre-au-Perche in December 2016. Other countries are also joining in this new direction, notably the United States, the Netherlands and China.