Treehugger‘s Derek Markham reports on France’s latest roadway accessory: solar panels on the road surface:
… the new Wattway system doesn’t replace the road itself or require removal of road surfaces, but instead is designed to be glued onto the top of existing pavement. The Wattway system is also built in layers of materials “that ensure resistance and tire grip,” and is just 7 mm thick, which is radically different from that other design that uses thick glass panels (and which is also claimed to include LED lights and ‘smart’ technology, which increases the complexity and cost of the moose-friendly solar tiles).
While the techie part of me thinks this is cool, the engineering part is giving serious thought to the chronic maintenance costs these things may face…
