Behold: The World’s First Solar-Powered Bike Lane
Imagine a road completely made of solar panels, and you’ll have an idea of the kind of things happening in the Netherlands. The Dutch are already pretty creative when it comes to generating solar power, but they’ve taken it a step further with their newest public service project, a solar powered bike lane.
The 230-foot stretch of bike path will open soon in an Amsterdam suburb. It’s made of rows of crystal silicon solar cells, which are then surrounded by concrete and topped with a layer of tempered glass. The road is also built to make sure rain washes off any dirt that might accumulate on it, allowing it to get maximum exposure to the light it needs to generate power.
And while the road itself can’t create as much power as, say, a solar-paneled roof, this could be a very interesting model for future design opportunities. If it’s successful there, we wouldn’t mind seeing some here, along with power-generating roads providing electricity to traffic lights or homes nearby. How cool!
What do you think of these solar powered roads? Could they be the way of the future? Tell us in the comments below!
