SOLAR Roads Coming to Route 66 via Photovoltaic Pavers
One of America’s oldest and most historic highways may soon become the first to get embedded solar panels.
Missouri’s state transportation department hopes to add photovoltaic pavers to a section of the famous Route 66 by the end of this year.
There is no indication of how long the stretch of solar-paved road will be, though, or how much power it will be able to generate.
The Missouri project will use photovoltaic pavers developed by Solar Roadways, according to Curbed.
In 2014, Solar Roadways raised more than $2.2 million through crowdfunding to develop its technology.
Route 66 and the towns it passes through were largely cut off from traffic by the construction of the Interstate highway system, but recently there have been efforts to revive it as a slower-paced alternative to expressway travel.
The French government announced earlier this year that it would pave 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of roads with Wattway solar panels, developed by road-building company Colas.
In addition, a Dutch company called SolaRoad began laying solar panels on a bike path in Amsterdam last year, as a test ahead of eventual use of the panels on roads.
