Cycle path that generates energy from sunlight opens in Netherlands (+ video)

The efficiency of electricity generation by photovoltaic solar panels is still extremely low. To make a real contribution to energy demand in the UK, 1/3 of the country should be covered in solar panels. Not only tree huggers would wince. So why not start by covering the roads with them (and warehouse/ industrial park roofs)? I admit the maths are still far-fetched at today's level of technology. But the search for a fossil fuel free economic model will need a plethora of (unconventional) approaches and trillions of investments in R&D and new infrastructure. Still peanuts compared to the devastation global warming (CO2 emissions) is starting to inflict on land and in the seas. Curiously, the humble (electric powered) bike could make a measurable, intantaneous contribution with an immediate and almost infinite ROI, were it not for the opposition by the car and oil lobbies.

If there's one thing us readers of Roadcc are agreed on, it's that innovation and experimentation should be banned.

The $3m cost of this shouldn't be simply extrapolated. This project is essentially a 'proof of concept' to see if it can work, how well it works and whether rolling it out is viable. You need to test and refine new things in real-world settings like this. It might not work, but at least this will find that out with a fairly small outlay. Or it might be brilliant and appear everywhere in 25 years time, allowing solar power to provide a much larger slice of the energy market. Wait and see.

The financial cost is less important.

I don't think this will generate enough energy recoup the energy required to make it.

Are they going to have people cleaning the leaves off it every day in autumn and snow in winter so it can get a few hours of weak sunlight?

But the big problem is that roads and solar panels fundamentally don't mix because roads must carry vehicles and vehicles cast shadows on the road.

If public money must spend money on solar panels then give people grants to put them on their roofs first where they will get unobstructed light.

As others have said, it might not be a perfect solution, but at least it's a new way of looking at it. If something like this really can become refined enough and cheap enough to be used widely it might stop some of the complaining about wind turbines and solar panels etc. The roads make up a pretty huge surface area, if they started paying the way by generating electricity then why not.

Unless things like this are tried and sometimes fail no progress would be made in anything. I wonder how much the very first mobile phone cost? Good luck to them

In full agreement with other posters, a million anything is a lot to supply one home. The clear overuse of the word "duurzaam" in the video (which may be better off subtitled for those not speaking Dutch, which I imagine are a lot of road.ccers) is also rather tree-huggerish. Nothing wrong with Eco-friendly solutions but the ROI just isn't there. What is the carbon cost of all this, let alone the financial cost?

Is this really better than a solar panel, windmill or other existing source of "duurzame" energy?

I don't know whether this will or won't work in the long term, but it's daft to dismiss it on the basis of current costs.

Of course it's expensive, but that's the nature of new technology. It needs to be tested and refined, and if it's thought to be practical, rolled out on a larger scale. Costs then come down.

"the €3 million cost of the project, which in its current form can supply enough electricity to meet the requirements of three homes."

At a million euros per home I forsee some issues in taking this to scale.

While I see this is a great idea and could be part of the eventual transition to renewable energy. Can someone who's ridden on it confirm that it behaves like road, not like glass or ice, especially when wet. Or could someone who understands Dutch translate?

I have grave concerns about this.
€3 million to power 3 homes, not very cost effective.
Riding on wet glass, no thanks.
€3 million for 100 meters of bike path, it would be better to build more bike paths.
Just by pitting/roughening up the surface you are affecting the efficiency of the solar panel, add to the that the thickness of the glass and the efficiency drops dramatically.

The "solar freakin roadways" project has already been debunked as pure lunacy.

Thunderf00t and EEVblog have both proved them to be financial white elephants.