Solar Panel Road France

Utilizing the power of the sun to its favor, a small village of Tourouvre-au-Perche in Normandy, France has turned a kilometer portion of its roads into an energy conductor via the solar panel road to provide energy for its street lights.

Pioneering of this move was the French Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal who, just yesterday, officially opened the road which was touted to be the source of energy to its street lights.

Although the concept of using sunlight and converting it to energy is nothing new but rather it has been in application for some time now, the cost of this technology is never known to be cheap.

Not a stray apart from the notion, these solar panels spanning 30,000 square feet that occupied the small village’s road is not a bit less expensive for its price tag of $5.2 million.

Addressing the problem posed by the panels’ fragility especially when used as part of the road which vehicles must cross, each panel is covered with silicon-based resin which is designed to withstand big rigs.

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Still untested, when the road has proven itself par from expectations, Royal has plans to bring the same panels across a thousand kilometer more on the French highway.

While have noble intentions, the panels themselves are not without major flaws given the known science and economics behind the technology used.

In terms of pricing, the road panels used are way more expensive than traditional panels used at certain industries and households. Not only are they more expensive, they are also known to be less efficient in a flat position than their angled counterparts.

Source: The Guardian

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