Monday 11 May 2015

Dutch bike solar road generates energy

A solar panel-lined road initiative that generates electricity has proved more successful than expected.

Last year a 70-metre cycle path was built in the north of Amsterdam, fitted with solar cells underneath a top layer of tempered glass roughly 1cm thick.

During a six-month trial, it generated 3,000kWh - enough electricity for a single household or to power an electric scooter to drive two and a half times around the world.

The three-year project called ‘SolaRoad’ converts sunlight on the road surface into electricity, which can be used for street lighting, households and traffic systems.

SolaRoad spokesman Sten de Wit said: “We expect more than the 70kWh per square meter per year, which we predicted as an upper limit in the laboratory stage. We can therefore conclude that it was a successful first half year.”