where is the wear data?
ground in road dirt & grit has abrasive grinding on the level of transparency over time. put simply traffic will wear dark ruts in this.
that will diminish photovoltaic output efficiency. then there is temperature of a road on a hot day. heat can reduce photovoltaic output efficiency by 10-25%.
if solar panels are on a roof, air breeze can cool them. but a road surface is another matter entirely.
then there is the heat island phenomenon.
so may conclusion is - Dave is right ,...its Busted , and adding to that
I will go on say that this wattway solar roadway pavering or somewhat fragile looking solar photovoltaic vinyl roadway matting is
better suited as private driveway pavering. a product for private property owners that have fashion or political statements to make.
something to park the tesla roadster or rolls-royce EV phantom on.
then pay for driveway cleaning ,polishing and any ongoing maintenance.
My engineering intuition says a big company is not going to waste effort and money on something that is never going to be viable. But further than that I rather do the math based on facts because intuition is a guess at best which can be completely wrong.
Some people get wealthy raising money and then bankrupting companies. Some erroneously believe because of tunnel vision. Some just completely lose touch with market trends. Some simply bet on the wrong horse/tech.
Those are all valid reasons but I doubt the first three are the case. Bigger companies tend to do their homework and a multi-million project like this needs to have board approval. Marketing trends don't really apply since it is not a consumer product. Betting on the wrong horse happens all the time but that is still better than betting on no horse at all.
Colas Wattway is testing public opinion a kite-flying exercise
big companies often have political agendas. also market trends can and will be manipulated to set agendas
so where did wattway's money come from? .an $ award from the UN .
quote from the wattway website-
colas, official partner of COP 21
as part of the COP21 United Nations conference on climate change,
colas has won a climate solutions award for the wattway solar road.COP 21 = Agenda 21, a 23-year-old non-binding UN resolution
some say to subjugate humanity under an eco-totalitarian regime its political!
more quote from the wattway website-
French Wattway panels....
.....without any need for civil engineering work.
.....The composite material is just a few millimeters thick, its a vinyl mat sitting on top of the asphalt.
also un-supervised work on public infrastructure & roads sounds shonky!
making it possible to adapt to thermal dilation in the pavement, as well as vehicle loads, a guarantee of durability and safety. its a vinyl mat sitting on top of the asphalt. that has no guarantee of durability beyond three to five years.
taking into consideration the flexible material thickness and road dirt & grit has abrasive grinding on the level of transparency.
the word pavement was used, if this is only for the sidewalk or footpath, then this is dishonest marketing in suggesting highway use.