A bike path in the Netherlands has been generating solar power since 2014, but the first example of a solar roadway built for cars opened this week in France.
"France has opened what it claims to be the world’s first solar panel road, in a Normandy village," reports Kim Willsher.
"A 1km (0.6-mile) route in the small village of Tourouvre-au-Perche covered with 2,800 sq m of electricity-generating panels, was inaugurated on [December 22, 2016] by the ecology minister, Ségolène Royal," adds Willsher.
According to Willsher, the solar roadway "cost €5m (£4.2m) to construct and will be used by about 2,000 motorists a day during a two-year test period to establish if it can generate enough energy to power street lighting in the village of 3,400 residents."
France made news in January of this year by announcing an ambitious solar roadway program—planning to build 621 miles of roads with solar panels. In the metric system that equals about 1,000 kilometers, or one in every 1,000 kilometers of roadway in the entire country.
Read the full story: World's first solar panel road opens in Normandy village
France Mandates Solar Panels Over Parking Lots Nationwide
By 2028, all French parking lots with more than 80 spots will have to be covered with solar panels, providing both shade and renewable energy.
France to Pave 621 Miles of Roads With Solar Panels
The French government made a bombshell of an announcement last week, when it said it will pave 1,000 km of roads in the country with photovoltaic panels.
28 States and DC Could Legalize ‘Balcony Solar’
Plug-in solar panels, which are becoming popular across Europe, live in a regulatory gray area in the United States.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority