Following on from last year’s historic climate change deal, in which 195 nations promised to mitigate man-made greenhouse gas emissions, France has demonstrated that it is beginning to pull its weight. The French government has just announced that it will pave 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of road with durable, photovoltaic panels, which will provide solar energy to 5 million people across the republic, according to Global Construction Review.
http://www.iflscience.com/technology/france-will-install-over-600-miles-solar-panelled-roads-2020
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Someone stole a piece of China’s new solar panel-paved road less than a week after it opened
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/05/someone-stole-a-piece-of-chinas-new-solar-panel-paved-road-less-than-a-week-after-it-opened/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&sr_share=facebook
Putting solar panels into our roads isn’t the craziest idea, but we may as well admit that it poses some unique challenges. For instance, people may want to walk away with pieces of it. That’s what happened in China, anyway, just five days after authorities opened up what they claim is the world’s first solar panel-paved highway.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EEVblog 1389 – Spanish Solar Pavement STUPIDITY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIiiGReUZ3A
A government in Barecelona Spain has paid 30,000 euro for a 9kW solar pavement from Platio.
This perennial favorite topic never ceases to provide debunking entertainment!
Platio Solar Pavement is BULLSHIT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw3ZiQY2nKM
The Platio solar pavment is bullshit.
Extract from a solar roadways video because I was editing out some fat.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First solar roadway in France turned out to be a ‘total disaster’
https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/france-solar-road
Turns out that solar power highways aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. In 2016, France put forth an audacious plan to build 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) of solar highways composed of photovoltaic panels. They believed that the completed roadway would be able to one day power up to 5 million homes. The French government invested €5 million to test out the concept.
So far the “Wattway” initiative has been a disappointing failure.
In a report from the Global Construction Review, it was found that engineers didn’t take into account the damage that would be caused by thunderstorms, leaf mold, and huge tractors that would be using the road. In the first few months, the highest amount of energy generated from the roadway hit only half their stated goal at around 150,000kWh before falling to 78,000 in 2018 and finally 38,000 in early 2019.
The vice president of the Network for Energy Transition, Marc Jedliczka, stated: “The technical and economic elements of the project were not sufficiently understood. It is a total absurdity to innovate at the expense of solutions that already exist and are much more profitable, such as photovoltaics on roofs.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
First solar roadway in France turned out to be a ‘total disaster’
French newspapers report that the trial hasn’t lived up to expectations.
https://bigthink.com/the-present/france-solar-road/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1652910016-1
The French government initially invested in a rural solar roadway in 2016. French newspapers report that the trial hasn’t lived up to expectations. Solar panel “paved” roadways are proving to be inefficient and too expensive.