Technology
Solar roads were never a path-breaking idea for many, and now the data from France proves the critics right. The installation of the Colas Wattway solar road in France a few years ago costed 5 million Euros but its annual power output is just 50 percent of what was initially expected.
Understandably, solar roads covered with layers of dust, moving vehicles and no inclination at an optimum angle, can harness only a fraction of energy compared to rooftop solar systems but the performance isn’t anywhere close to the expectations, notes Tree Hugger.
The solar roads, exposed to scuffs, scratches and pressure from vehicles, also showed drastic wear and tear in relatively short time, thus requiring the replacement of slabs at faster rate, eventually adding to the stress on the resources of raw materials, reports Extreme Tech.
