Normandy?s solar panel road pictured on December 22, 2016. | AFP/Getty Images

After nearly three years of use, Normandy?s photovoltaic highway is delivering disappointing results Solar power highways are hitting a roadblock. Nearly three years after France built a 0.6-mile stretch of photovoltaic road in Normandy, the government is deeming it a disappointing experiment.
In 2016, France announced its bold plan to ?pave? 1,000 kilometers (around 620 miles) with photovoltaic panels, which would generate 790kWh per day. When completed, the road was supposed to power up to 5 million homes. But that first 0.6-mile stretch, which engineers had originally estimated would power up to 5,000 homes, hasn?t lived up to expectations.
After installation, it was clear that the panels produced by the manufacturer Wattway couldn?t hold up under the wear and tear of highway traffic. According to Global Construction Review, ?the 2,800 square meters of solar panels have degraded, peeled away and splintered, and 100m of them have been removed after being declared too damaged to repair.? The report claims that engineers didn?t account for the natural deterioration caused by thunderstorms, leaf mold, and heavy trucks and tractors that would be regularly using the road. At its peak, the road only generated 149,459 kWh in a year, making them far less efficient than regular tilted solar panels.
The outcome, while disappointing, isn?t necessarily surprising. Experts have lobbed skepticism at ...