FRANCE, NORMANDY, ORNE (61), TOUROUVRE AU PERCHE : THE FIRST SOLAR ROAD IN THE WORLD WAS INAUGURATED ON THURSDAY 22 DECEMBER 2016 BY THE FRENCH MINIST

---

FRANCE, NORMANDY, ORNE (61), TOUROUVRE AU PERCHE : THE FIRST SOLAR ROAD IN THE WORLD WAS INAUGURATED ON THURSDAY 22 DECEMBER 2016 BY THE FRENCH MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT, SEGOLENE ROYAL. IT IS A LENGTH OF 1 KM AND 2800 KM2, ON A DEPARTMENTAL ROAD SERVING THE SMALL NORMAN TOWN OF TOUROUVRE-AU-PERCHE (3 400 INHABITANTS), IN THE ORNE, WHOSE PAVEMENT HAS BEEN COVERED WITH PHOTOVOLTAIC SLABS. THIS PROJECT, UNPRECEDENTED IN THE WORLD BY ITS SIZE, WAS FINANCED BY THE FRENCH STATE, AMOUNTING TO 5 MILLION EUROS. THE IDEA OF DEPLOYING SOLAR PANELS ON THE ROAD NETWORK IS NOT NEW, BUT SO FAR EXPERIMENTS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT ONLY ON VERY SMALL ROAD SECTIONS. THE CONCEPT HAS CHANGED OF SCALE, WITH WATTWAY PROJECT LED BY THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY COLAS (BOUYGUES) AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SOLAR ENERGY (INES) WHICH COMBINES THE COMMISSARIAT FOR ATOMIC ENERGY AND ENERGY ALTERNATIVES (CEA) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SAVOY. AFTER FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH AND TESTS. NORMAN SOLAR ROAD WILL BE THE REAL TESTING GROUND. ON 2,800 M2, SLAB-SHAPED PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS WERE GLUED TO THE ASPHALT. WITHIN THIS COATING, THE SILICON SHEET GENERATING CURRENT ARE EMBEDDED IN A PROTECTIVE RESIN WHICH, SAY WATTWAY PARTNERS MAKES THEM "ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE FLOW OF ALL TYPES OF VEHICLES, INCLUDING HEAVY VEHICLES," WHILE ENSURING GOOD GRIP BETWEEN THE TIRES AND THE ROADWAY

---

Size: 3648px × 5472px
Location: FRANCE. TOUROUVRE
Photo credit: © Stephane COMPOINT / Onlyfrance.fr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 61, alternative, colas, compoint, energy, environment, eu, europe, exterior, france, futurist, horizontal, ines, normandie, normandy, onlyfrance, orne, panel, panels, perche, power, research, road, signs, solar, stephane, technology, tourouvre, vertical, wattway, western