SolarRoad units installed in cycle path in Estampes

French road building contractor Charier has introduced the SolarRoad kit (SRK) on a newly laid cycle path in Etampes, France. Two SRK units convert sunlight to electricity and provide lighting for a roundabout near Etampes, a small commune of around 26,000 people about 50km south-west of Paris. The installation helps Charier meet sustainability objectives within the framework of the Paris Agreement. An SRK has four elements of 2.5m x 3.5m and delivers around 3,500kWh per year, which according to Solar R

February 8, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Sunny side up: workers in France install the SolarRoad kit in Etampes

French road building contractor Charier has introduced the SolaRoad kit (SRK) on a newly laid cycle path in Etampes, France

Two SRK units convert sunlight to electricity and provide lighting for a roundabout near Etampes, a small commune of around 26,000 people about 50km south-west of Paris. The installation helps Charier meet sustainability objectives within the framework of the Paris Agreement.

An SRK has four elements of 2.5m x 3.5m and delivers around 3,500kWh per year, which according to 8663 SolaRoad is enough energy to power an average household for one year.

The solar panels can be driven upon but also carry cables. They contain LED lights to create lines and signage without paint and heating elements to prevent snow and ice accumulation. Microprocessors let the panels communicate with each other, a central control station, and vehicles. The glass has a tractioned surface which is equivalent to asphalt.

The technology can be applied to a business park, courtyard, square, bike path or a footpath. It can provide energy for lighting, illuminating a shop window, heating, Wi-Fi access points or - as now in Groningen, the Netherlands - a charging point for e-bikes and mobile phones.

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Solar roads such as Colas’s Wattway could be the right way

April 26, 2016

Solar roads such as Colas’s Wattway could be the right way

Peter Harrop, chairman of independent research and consultancy IDTechEx, considers arguments in favour of solar roads Nowadays a major trend is the move to off-grid clean energy created by “energy harvesting” to produce electricity where it is needed. This is more controllable and increasingly at lower cost than grid power or diesel gensets, cleaner, and often less subject to interruption. It is taking new forms as revealed in the IDTechEx Research report, “High Power Energy Harvesting 2016-2026”.

May 10, 2016

Solar roads such as Colas’s Wattway could be the right way

Peter Harrop, chairman of independent research and consultancy IDTechEx, considers arguments in favour of solar roads. Nowadays a major trend is the move to off-grid clean energy created by “energy harvesting” to produce electricity where it is needed. This is more controllable and increasingly at lower cost than grid power or diesel gensets, cleaner and often less subject to interruption. It is taking new forms as revealed in the IDTechEx Research report, “High Power Energy Harvesting 2016-2026”.