SolarRoad units installed in cycle path in Estampes

French road building contractor Charier has introduced the SolarRoad kit (SRK) on a newly laid cycle path in Etampes, France. Two SRK units convert sunlight to electricity and provide lighting for a roundabout near Etampes, a small commune of around 26,000 people about 50km south-west of Paris. The installation helps Charier meet sustainability objectives within the framework of the Paris Agreement. An SRK has four elements of 2.5m x 3.5m and delivers around 3,500kWh per year, which according to Solar R
February 8, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Sunny side up: workers in France install the SolarRoad kit in Etampes
French road building contractor Charier has introduced the SolaRoad kit (SRK) on a newly laid cycle path in Etampes, France


Two SRK units convert sunlight to electricity and provide lighting for a roundabout near Etampes, a small commune of around 26,000 people about 50km south-west of Paris. The installation helps Charier meet sustainability objectives within the framework of the Paris Agreement.

An SRK has four elements of 2.5m x 3.5m and delivers around 3,500kWh per year, which according to 8663 SolaRoad is enough energy to power an average household for one year.

The solar panels can be driven upon but also carry cables. They contain LED lights to create lines and signage without paint and heating elements to prevent snow and ice accumulation. Microprocessors let the panels communicate with each other, a central control station, and vehicles. The glass has a tractioned surface which is equivalent to asphalt.

The technology can be applied to a business park, courtyard, square, bike path or a footpath. It can provide energy for lighting, illuminating a shop window, heating, Wi-Fi access points or - as now in Groningen, the Netherlands - a charging point for e-bikes and mobile phones.

Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • All-new road markings on world’s highways
    June 28, 2013
    Road marking manufacturers have many innovative new products either currently being used on major highways or set to be made available within the next couple of years. Guy Woodford reports. Daan Roosegaarde, an artist, and Hans Goris, a manager at Dutch construction and infrastructure firm Heijmans, are developing intriguing new products for the road markings market. One innovation involves painting road markings with glow-in-the-dark paint.
    Read More
  • All change: get ready to rethink everything
    November 10, 2022
    How can we make our infrastructure ready for new sustainability challenges? What kind of investments are needed? And who will finance them? Tolling association Asecap has some thoughts. Geoff Hadwick reports from Lisbon
    Read More
  • Evonik’s Degaroute boosts Medellin cycle path safety
    January 25, 2017
    Across Latin America, a region known for its chaotic driving and dense traffic jams, a growing number of commuters are doing the unthinkable - ditching their cars for bicycles City leaders and cycling advocates in Latin America have recently been focusing on the development of sustainable urban design that improves cyclist. Hundreds of kilometres of bike lanes are being laid out and cyclists are getting favourable loans to purchase bikes. There are even innovative bike-share systems. One city enhancin
    Read More
  • Lighting innovations boosting brightness, cutting costs
    January 27, 2014
    CU Phosco’s new P850 LED main road lantern has just seen its first major deployment – between Junctions 16 and 17 of the A55, a strategic road which skirts the North Wales coastline – Jason Barnes reports The A55 is a grade-separated dual carriageway also known as the North Wales Expressway. Some 139km long, it originally ran from Chester to Bangor but was extended across the Isle of Anglesey into Holyhead Docks in 2001 under a project part-funded by the European Union.
    Read More

Highlighted Content