Jinan - China has opened a 1-kilometre stretch of solar motorway near Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province in east China. The road can generate 1 million kW hours of power in one year.
The new solar motorway features 5,875 square metres of solar
panels and generates enough energy to meet the daily demand of
around 800 households, according to an article in Xinhua.
The solar panels were laid on part of a ring road surrounding
Jinan. The road consists of three layers: the solar panels are in
the middle, with insulation below and a transparent, weight-bearing
material on top that allows sunlight to penetrate, explains
Inhabitat.
The solar road is currently being tested and the electricity
it produces will be used to power motorway lights, signboards,
surveillance cameras, tunnel and toll gate facilities. Surplus
power will be supplied to the state grid, said Xu Chunfu, chairman
of Qilu Transportation Development
Group. In the future, the electricity could even go towards
mobile charging for electric vehicles and providing internet
connection.
While Xu did not reveal the project’s costs to Xinhua, he said
it was half of similar projects in foreign countries. “With the
development of solar power in China, the cost can be further
reduced,” added Xu.
China has been the world’s top solar energy producer since
2016.
