Photovoltaic Road Tested in China

China successfully tested its first photovoltaic (solar) highway based on home-grown technology in country՚s eastern Shandong province and became the second country in the world to construct a photovoltaic highway. The road provides wireless charging systems for electric vehicles.

Photovoltaic Road in China

Which Country Was First to Test Photovoltaic Road?

  • France had introduced world՚s first photovoltaic road fitted with solar panels in late 2016.
  • The road was developed in Tourouvre au Perche in Normandy.
  • The roadway is just one kilometre long, but has 2,800 square metres of photovoltaic cells.
  • The road is enough to power the village՚s streetlights.

    Key Facts

  • China՚s photovoltaic highway is constructed using solar panels, which have thin sheet of transparent concrete on top of them, protecting the surface.
  • It has wireless charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs) .
  • The photovoltaic panels of the highway are built to transfer energy to electric vehicles passing on top of them.
  • The one-kilometre segment of solar-powered highway covers a surface area of 5875 sq m.
  • The stretch has three layers
    1. bottom layer which is an insulator, to prevent moisture from getting to photovoltaic devices
    2. middle layer
    3. top layer has transparent concrete.
  • The tested segment of the solar highway can generate 817.2 KW of electricity and is expected to generate 1 million KW hours of electricity each year.
  • The electricity generated will be connected to China՚s national power grid.

What is Photovoltaic Road?

Photovoltaic road is a form of road that generates electricity by collecting solar power with photovoltaic cells. The electricity generated can be used to charge the electronic vehicles, which run on the road.

What Are EVs?

  • An electric vehicle, also called an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion.
  • An electric vehicle may be powered through a collector system by electricity from off-vehicle sources, or may be self-contained with a battery, solar panels or an electric generator.
  • EVs include road and rail vehicles, surface and underwater vessels, electric aircraft and electric spacecraft.

Examrace Team at Aug 20, 2021