Peachtree Corners has unveiled the city’s new solar road system, which produces energy for a solar-powered EV charging station located at City Hall.
The installation also marked the first road surface-powered solar panels to be activated in a US city.
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The solar roadway is located in a section of Technology Parkway’s autonomous vehicle test lane and was provided to the city through a partnership with The Ray, a non-profit living laboratory and proving ground located along an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 spanning between LaGrange and the Georgia/Alabama State line.
The new system at Peachtree Corners will produce more than 1,300 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually for a Level 2 EV charger at City Hall at no cost to EV motorists. The charger is also equipped with an energy storage system for night-time charging.
The Wattway solar roadway panels, manufactured by French transportation company, Colas Group in partnership with the French National Solar Energy Institute, have a 21% performance increase compared to previously deployed panels.
“As further reinforcement of Peachtree Corners’ leadership in introducing and developing the latest technologies in a real-world environment, we’re excited to have been working with The Ray to install the country’s first road surface solar panels manufactured by Wattway, within our one-of-a-kind autonomous vehicle lane,” said Peachtree Corners CTO and assistant city manager, Brandon Branham.
“While this new form of 100% green, renewable energy will begin with supplying power to an EV charging station, our vision is to begin to power more existing infrastructure across the city, off-grid. We look forward to installing more panels throughout, which may include sidewalks, bike lanes and many more surfaces.”
