Solar Roadways: Efficient, Cost-Effective, Scalable

One year ago, the Netherlands constructed a bike path made of photovoltaic cells, connecting Amsterdam and its suburbs. It was a pilot program to test and show the possibility of solar roadways as a profitable solution.

“If we can additionally incorporate solar cells in road pavements, then a large extra area will become available for decentralized solar energy generation without the need for extra space … and just part of the roads which we build and use anyway,” says Sten de Wit from the SolaRoad consortium in an interview with Fast Co.

The team plans to build on the experience they gained through the pilot program. The initial prototype was pricey. However, the team is looking for a solar road to pay for itself within 15 years of use. As technologies improve, cost goes down.

Elon Musk has demonstrated this kind of product planning with his Tesla series. He has already stated that Tesla will be moving into the third stage of its development plan, producing a mass-market car. It’s expected to be priced at $35,000 and roll out before 2020.

“That was the goal with Tesla … to try to serve as a catalyst to accelerate the day, the day of electric vehicles.”