It may sound far-fetched but the possibility of solar powered roads could become the future of our roads. Not only would they produce energy to power cars, they could also provide power for road signs and street lighting. Power would be supplied directly throughout the daytime and batteries would be charged for overnight power.

The first road powered by solar panels is currently being trailed in Normandy, France. The panels span 1KM and are part of the Wattway solar road technology developed by French road builder Colas and the country’s solar power research institute, INES. Record of this trail will be documented to show how much power the road is producing and how dirt and other deposits could affect the way it generates power.

Solar roads could enable the likes of delivery vans and company vehicles to potentially run on solar energy without any worries of road works or bad weather keeping people from the places they need to be ever again. Solar heated roads would not freeze and repairs would be as simple as replacing a section of the affected solar panels.

The pilot trails will continue aiming to prove that this could be a viable energy source in the future that can withstand road traffic.

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