French roads will be covered with 1000km of solar panels

In five years from now, French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Environment Segolene Royal claims 1.000 km of French roads shall be covered with solar panels , so called "positive energy". This year already, photovoltaic cells will be tested on the roads according to the French Minister.

A tender procedure was launched and the first tests are expected in spring. It's a simple procedure consisting in taking advantage of French roads to set up photovoltaic systems and thus produce solar energy. This technology was succesfully tested in france a few months ago by Colas company. 7mm steel solar panels were stuck on roads in this manner.

Though this idea may seem easy to achieve, this is actually a technological breakthrough considering the cell fragility and the fact that they must support frequent heavy trucks traffic. Road grip must be preserved so it won't get slippery. Apparently, this is worth a shot: An whole city of 5000 people could be supplied with light.

This agreement is part of four initiatives for clean transports launched at the end of Paris COP21: it aims to make the road a transport corridor but also a source of clean sustainable energy without using more additional space. With 27% of total emissions, transport sector is the main source of greenhouse gases.

By: Yoann Frament