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Thursday, June 14th, 2018

Free Power From Freeways? China Is Testing Roads Paved With Solar Panels

Author:     Keith Bradsher
Source:     The New York Times
Publication Date:     June 11, 2018
 Link: Free Power From Freeways? China Is Testing Roads Paved With Solar Panels
Stephan:   When I was in China a few months ago, and had an opportunity to have conversations with a number of high ranking Chinese officials, one of my big takeaways was that the Chinese are very serious about exiting the carbon energy era. I was told several times they were planning to repave major highways with photovoltaics, something regular SR readers know is also going on in Europe. It appears from this story that for the Chinese this is no longer an issue about planning but rather an active program. Meanwhile, in the U.S. the Trump administration is equally actively working to protect the carbon energy industries, and keep America locked into coal, oil, and natural gas. The Chinese and much of Europe are committed to having no carbon energy powered vehicles on their roads by 2040. Twenty two years from now what do you think the U.S. will be doing?

Chinese photovoltaic roadway
Credit: Giulia Marchi/ The New York Times

JINAN, CHINA  — On a smoggy afternoon, huge log carriers and oil tankers thundered down a highway and hurtled around a curve at the bottom of a hill. Only a single, unreinforced guardrail stood between the traffic and a ravine.

The route could make for tough driving under any conditions. But experts are watching it for one feature in particular: The highway curve is paved with solar panels.

“If it can pass this test, it can fit all conditions,” said Li Wu, the chairman of Shandong Pavenergy, the company that made the plastic-covered solar panels that carpet the road. If his product fares well, it could have a major impact on the renewable energy sector, and on the driving experience, too.

The experiment is the latest sign of China’s desire to innovate in, and dominate, the increasingly lucrative and strategically important market for renewable energy. The country already produces three-quarters of the solar panels sold globally, and […]

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