SolaRoad opens

The first road in the world that converts sunlight into electricity is ready for use
Haarlem, 21 October 2014

The SolaRoad pilot road has been opened this week. SolaRoad is a road surface that acts as a solar panel. SolaRoad will be officially opened on the 12th of November by Minister Kamp. This is the first road in the world that converts sunlight into electricity. SolaRoad was developed by TNO, the Province of North-Holland, Ooms Civiel and Imtech TrafficInfra.

Road surface that converts sunlight into energy
The pilot road of just a hundred metres consists of concrete modules each of 2.5 by 3.5 metres. Solar cells are fitted in one travelling direction underneath a tempered glass top layer which is approximately 1-cm thick. There are no solar cells on the other side of the road and this is used to test various top layers. In time, the solar power from the road will be used for practical applications in street lighting, traffic systems, electric cars (which drive on the surface) and households. This first section of

SolaRoad is located in Krommenie, along the provincial road N203, next to the Texaco garage on the railway track side (GPS data: 52.493875, 4.767134).

Test period
For a three-year period, various measurements will be taken and tests performed to enable SolaRoad to undergo further development. The tests must answer questions such as: How does it behave in practice? How much energy does it produce? and What is it like to cycle over? In the run-up to the surface being laid, the road was tested in the laboratory to ensure that it fulfils all (safety) requirements for road surfaces.

Official opening on the 12th of November
SolaRoad will be officially opened on Wednesday the 12th of November by Minister Kamp.

More information
For more information about SolaRoad take a look at www.solaroad.nl/en/
Also follow SolaRoad on social media: Twitter: @SolaRoadNL Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/solaRoadNetherlands