China is set to open its first solar motorway that can generate electricity under sunlight.
The
two-kilometre-long (1.2 miles) stretch of highway, situated in Jinan,
could charge electric cars as they are travelling on it.
The
two-lane road could also warm itself up in sub-zero weather to melt the
snow on top - so drivers could drive on it more safely.
The high-tech photovoltaic highway
comprises the southern part of the Jinan City Expressway in the
provincial capital of Shandong and is expected to open by the end of
December, reported People's Daily Online.
Formed with special weight-bearing solar panels, the road can hold medium-size vans and has strong friction.
Once it's completed, the highway would be connected to the power grid so it could provide electricity to the city.
The solar highway is formed with three layers.
The
top layer is paved with the so-called 'transparent concrete', which is
said to be as strong as the traditional road-surfacing material, asphalt
concrete.
The middle layer is the power-generating layer consisting of solar panels.
The bottom layer is the insulation layer which separates the photovoltaic system from the damp earth.
The highway is built by Qilu
Transportation Development Group, a state-owned company in charge of the
transport infrastructure of Shandong Province, according to Jiemian News.
In
September, the group completed China's first solar road, also in Jinan,
after 10 months of construction. The road is fitted with 660 square
metres (7,104 square feet) of photovoltaic panels and has been connected
to the power grid.
Last December, France unveiled the world's first solar panel road in the small Normandy village of Tourouvre-au-Perche.
The 1km (0.6-mile) stretch of road is paved with 2,880 photovoltaic panels, covering an area of 2,800 square metres (9,186 square feet).
The road is expected to produce 280 MWh of electricity a year - enough to power the village's street lights.
No comments:
Post a Comment