Embed photovoltaics directly into the running surface of roads and paths

#00142

Replace or overlay road/path surfaces with load-bearing PV panels that vehicles travel over. Every real-world pilot has under-delivered or failed: flat orientation, traffic wear, and 8–360× higher cost versus equivalent off-road panels make it a cautionary approach rather than a

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Krommenie, North Holland, Netherlands

Partial

SolaRoad consortium (TNO, Province of North Holland, and partners) · 2014–2019 · Neighborhood

SolaRoad opened a 72 m solar cycle path in Krommenie in October 2014 (later extended to ~90 m), operated by the SolaRoad consortium (TNO, Province of North Holland, and partners). Because the load was limited to cyclist…

First-year energy output~9,800kWh/yr

Yield per m² vs nearby rooftop PVrooftop = 1×~0.5×relative

Province of North Holland and consortium partners · 1 source

Tourouvre-au-Perche, Normandy, France

Failed

Colas (Bouygues subsidiary) with the French National Institute for Solar Energy (INES) · 2016–2019 · City

Colas opened a ~1 km "Wattway" solar road (~2,800 m² of resin-encapsulated PV cells bonded onto an existing road surface) in Tourouvre-au-Perche, Normandy, in December 2016, co-developed with the French National Institu…

Daily output vs design target~767 kWh/day (designed)~383 kWh/day (~half of design)kWh/day

Cost per watt vs rooftop PV1× (rooftop PV)~8.5×relative

French state subsidy · 1 source

Sandpoint, Idaho, USA

Failed

Solar Roadways Inc. · 2016–2018 · Neighborhood

The most publicized test of surface-embedded PV. Solar Roadways Inc. installed ~30 hexagonal PV tiles (~13.9 m²) in a public square in Sandpoint, Idaho, funded by ~US$2.2M in Indiegogo crowdfunding plus US Department of…

Panels non-functional within first week30 installed~25panels

Installed capacity1.529kW

$60K · Indiegogo crowdfunding (~US$2.2M raised) plus US Department of Transportation / federal grants · 3 sources

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