City of Prince George, B.C., installs section of “Solar Road”
July 3, 2018
By
CCE
The photovoltaic panels are fixed directly onto pavement with no need to destroy and rebuild existing roadworks.
(source: City of Prince George)
The City of Prince George has partnered with construction company YCS Holdings Ltd. to install a 20-square-metre segment of solar panel pavement at City Hall’s parking lot that connects to City Hall.
The electricity generated is helping to meet City Hall’s energy needs and supplying additional power uses such as offsetting energy requirements for the electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot.
The pilot project is part of the City’s continuing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy generation can be tracked in real-time and compared across seasons and environmental conditions.
The Wattway solar road technology was developed by Colas Group, a French civil engineering firm headquartered in Paris.
The photovoltaic panels are fixed directly onto pavement with no need to destroy and rebuild existing roadworks. The millimetres-thick panels, which are made of a durable composite material, are robust enough to withstand vehicles of varying loads (including the weight of an 18-wheeler truck) in all types of weather.
The project was funded by YCS Holdings Ltd. and Wattway, subsidiaries of Colas Group.
