France just opened a 1,000-kilometer solar highway where the road itself generates electricity as cars drive over it. This is the biggest solar road project ever built anywhere in the world.
The Wattway system uses thin photovoltaic tiles made from polycrystalline silicon encased in tough resin, bonded directly onto existing asphalt. Each tile is just 7 millimeters thick and strong enough for heavy trucks to drive over thousands of times without cracking. The tiles connect to roadside inverters that feed generated electricity directly into the national grid serving nearby towns and street lighting systems.
One kilometer of solar road generates enough electricity to power street lighting for a town of 5,000 people. The full 1,000-kilometer network generates 280 gigawatt-hours annually, powering 280,000 French homes. Special anti-slip surface texture maintains full driving safety in rain and snow while keeping panels clean through natural water runoff.
This technology works on existing roads with no new land required. France plans to expand solar road coverage to 10,000 kilometers by 2030, turning its entire highway network into a distributed clean energy generator running beneath the feet of millions of daily commuters.
Source: Colas Group France, French Environment and Energy Management Agency, 2025
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