China’s new solar highway is complete and will soon be able to recharge electric vehicles.
The world’s first solar panel highway was officially opened at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon in Jinan, the capital of China’s Shandong Province. This solar road is part of a project, named the Jinan City Expressway that is currently being built in one of China’s most highly-trafficked areas. In total, the solar road is 1.2 miles and contains over 10,000 photovoltaic panels that will be able to convert sunlight into electricity. The stretch covered comes out to 63,200 sq ft. It is made of three layers- transparent concrete on the top, photovoltaic panels and an additional third layer underneath to keep the panels dry. The solar road is meant to power the towns surrounding it. Engineers hope that soon the solar panels will wirelessly power electric cars driving on the road as well.
According to Zhang Hongchao, a project designer and transportation engineering expert at Tongji University in China, the panels will be able to generate 1 million kWh of electricity in a year. The solar road could handle 10 times more pressure than the normal asphalt. The solar highway includes two lanes and an emergency lane and is designed for both electric cars and public transport.
This is not China’s first solar roadway. In fact, the new solar road marks the second solar stretch in the city of Jinan. The first solar roadway was opened by the same state-owned company Qilu Transportation Development Group last September. It took them 10 months to build 790 square yards of solar paneling.
Check the video here.
