A fascinating new bike path has been opened in the Netherlands and it may be the next step in clean energy. The town, along with engineers and research organization TNO have integrated solar panels into the roadway to harvest energy while creating a new travel route. Solar panels are becoming more popular as the global desire to create clean energy increases but implementing the technology in road construction has had its fair share of difficulties.

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The path itself is ninety meters long which is relatively short, however this was a successful test to insure the concept was viable for larger scale integration. Solar panels are laid across the path and connected to the power grid to allow for effective energy collection but the challenges facing the team are very different from those on traditional solar farms. The material on top of the panels must be able to allow light through while also being durable enough to mitigate damage from rocks and dirt. Due tot the amount of electricity passing through the pathway, it must also be water resistant and safe for those travelling across it. One of the primary concerns for the project was the efficiency of each panel on the ground as opposed to the sun-seeking panels that move to gather the most sunlight. On a bicycle path, there is little weight and the wear on the panels is fairly low but this will change as the team seeks to use this technology on major roadways.

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For these panels to work on larger roadways, they require specialized equipment and supports to ensure water will flow properly around them and they can work under the pressure of large trucks passing over them. The need for roads to allow safe travel also created a problem, as the top layer of material must be transparent but finding a material that allows in sunlight without becoming too slick or too soft has proven to be challenging. The results of the test showed that the material will need some tweaking as it is shown to lose its energy yield over time due to chipping and deterioration of the top panels. They have also constructed a cost-benefit analysis to ensure the pricey solar panels will last long enough to pay for themselves in the form of energy. If they are too costly to implement, maintain, or replace it could mean the end of the project altogether. Luckily, the technology for solar panels is advancing and the cost of the materials is going down. This presents the possibility of these roads extending much further and being built across the world. That is, if this next road test is successful.

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Another company, Solar Roadways, has made attempts at such roads but the project was a failure. They gathered enormous support on Kickstarter but their technology was not effective and a few solar panels on a stand were able to create far more energy than the entirety of their “road”. A Youtuber called Thunderf00t did a full debunking of the project but seemed to believe the core idea is promising. The road they created was actually a sidewalk area with panels installed and it had a number of malfunctions causing the area to be shut off after short time. This is just one of many experiments with solar roads and the concept itself is wonderful. It is meant to created durable roads with less necessary maintenance while also generating clean energy. This type of innovation just takes the right people and the right equipment to become successful.