France Is Set to Convert Hundreds of Miles of Roads Into Solar Panels
Enough to power 8 percent of France’s population.
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In a significant gesture towards environmentalism, the French government has decided to turn 620 miles of road into energy-generating solar panels, which would provide enough energy for 8 percent of the population. This is made possible by the use of Wattway solar panel tiles manufactured by Colas, which are thin yet durable and can be applied onto a road surface by way of glue. Estimated to provide enough electricity to power a home with 215 square feet of panels, a mere 0.6 miles of roadway would therefore be able to meet the energy demands of a town of 5,000 people. As roads are already exposed to the sun and often follow the electrical grid, wide-scale installation would be quite easy.