Writer: Tina Kwan

Have you ever imagined when you cycle instead of using a car, in addition to reducing carbon footprint, you could help generate electricity? In Krommenie, Netherlands, there is a 90-meter-long bike path covered with solar panels! It was built by SolaRoad in 2014 as the first public road paved with solar panels. In just half a year, it has attracted 150,000 cyclists to try it out, and successfully generated 3,000 kWh of electricity, equivalent to a family's annual electricity consumption! 

The solar panel bike path is made of glass, silicone and concrete, and is strong enough to withstand the weight of a 12-ton fire truck. As the project is still in the pilot stage, some of the solar panels top layers were broken due to bad weather. Fortunately, after the engineer's research, another material that can withstand bad weather was successfully developed and the cycle track was rebuilt. The electricity generated by the solar panels were connected to the smart meters and it provides electricity to the grid and street lights nearby. 

After Krommenie’s successful pilot program, SolaRoad developed different solar panel bike paths in France and other parts of the Netherlands, and made breakthroughs in the power supply! Cyclists can use the charging stations on the bike path to charge their e-bikes, mobile phones and tablets. In 2019, SolaRoad also developed a solar panel bus road, which is 100 meters long, and the electricity generated will be directly connected to the power grid in the area. 

Although there are not many cyclists in Hong Kong, Hong Kong has abundant sunlight and could make good use of it by building such solar bike paths. Well, any engineers who want to want to develop them? 

Sources:
1. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a15484/netherlands-solar-bike-path/
2. https://www.solaroad.nl/portfolio/
3. https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/looking-dutch-solar-bike-path-after-one-year/29346

Image Source:
https://www.solaroad.nl/portfolio/