World’s First Solar Highway to Open in Jinan, China
31
01
2018
By PV Guangzhou
The world’s first 2-km-long solar highway is under construction in Jinan, the capital city of China's Shandong province, and is scheduled to open for public traffic by 2018 with a stable source of green electricity.
This new solar highway is made of three layers: a protective surface layer made of transparent concrete, a middle layer of solar-powered batteries to generate electricity, and an insulation layer to prevent dampness below. In addition, the solar panels cover 5,875 square meters and can generate 1 million kilowatt-hours of power in a year, which will be used to power street lights and a snow-melting system on the road, the project developer, Qilu Transportation Development Group, claimed.
Moreover, the Jinan stretch includes two lanes and an emergency lane and is designed for both electricity generation and public transport, according to Zhang Hongchao, a project designer and transportation engineering expert at China’s Tongji University interviewed by CCTV. It’s also designed to supply power to charging stations for electric vehicles.
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This project showcases China's multibillion dollar plow into renewable energy. By 2020, the country is aiming to build 54.5GW of large-scale solar projects.
In fact, the idea of solar roads has been dismissed by most of them as being impractical, but it didn’t stop China from testing today. The solar energy road is in conformity with the active pursuit of solar energy in China in recent years.
The world’s first solar highway reflects that China makes a significant breakthrough in photovaltic technology. If you want to have an insight into China’s technology in photovaltic or enter China’s market, I highly recommend you to join us in the 10th Guangzhou International Solar Photovaltic Exhibition 2018 (PV Guangzhou) where you can gain a lot. Whether you are visiting or exhibiting, we are looking forward to your coming!
