The use of electric bicycles is becoming increasingly fashionable these days. Some people buy e-bikes instead of motorbikes to save money, and many people use electric bikes to replace CO2-emitting cars to combat climate change and global warming. As a result, more cycle lanes, electricity, and e-bike charging stations are needed. And solar cycle paths.
Multifunctional bicycle path
In addition to providing opportunities for walking or cycling, a cycle path can also be used to generate electricity. But how can this be achieved? With energy-generating paving! PLATIO solar paver is an easy-to-install solar paving solution that generates clean energy and provides an independent clean source of energy to power electrical devices on the street. It does all this without reducing the size of your valuable pavement space, as it can be installed in the same way as standard paving.
Recognizing this, the town council of Cham in Switzerland has designed a solar bicycle path, replacing part of the pedestrian and cycle path along the former Papier railway line with PLATIO solar pavers.
Switzerland’s first solar-powered cycle path. Source: PLATIO
The purpose of the installation is to allow the previously underutilized concrete sidewalk to generate power so that pedestrians can charge their electric bikes when they are running low in energy. The 80 solar pavers installed on the ground will generate clean energy that will be feed to the charging station 100 meters from the surface. The solar pavers generate more green energy than the charging station requires, but this is not lost as the excess energy is used to support the energy supply of the neighboring Städtli School building. The charging station is equipped with several types of charging cables, so it can be used to charge e-bikes with any kind of connection needs.
To prove the PLATIO’s slip resistance under all conditions, several different tests have been carried out. The glass on the top of the paver unit has a hardened, non-slip surface for greater slip resistance and can be used in the same way as conventional pavement, making it perfect for cycling. PLATIO has a low voltage system (SELV) that makes walking and cycling on paving stones completely safe.
Results of PLATIO solar pavement since the installation. Source: PLATIO
The solar bicycle path is a novelty in Switzerland, so other Swiss municipalities will likely be interested in the project, which could be extended in the future. For example, they could replace pavement in car parks with PLATIO solar pavement, so that electric car charging stations can also be charged with green energy.
The PLATIO cycling concept is now operational
PLATIO Solar has already carried out similar projects in the past: in 2019, PLATIO solar pavers were installed on a 120 m2 area of the cycle path between Gárdony and Agárd in Hungary as part of a pilot project. The aim was to provide the energy needed for the street lighting of the busy asphalt cycle path. As the solar cycle lane installation proved to be successful, more and more projects followed it.
PLATIO Solar bike path in Gárdony, Hungary. Source: PLATIO
The solar bike path concept presented by PLATIO here fits well with the concept of a sustainable, smart city, which means that city leaders take social, environmental, and economic impacts into account right from the urban planning and management stage. Many sustainable projects can be implemented by introducing environmentally friendly alternatives to urban infrastructure. For example, installing charging stations for electric vehicles, or building sustainable real estate powered by renewable energy. The PLATIO solar pavement, combined with charging stations, can provide smart, space-saving, and local renewable energy for cleaner e-mobility, increasing the share of green energy in the energy mix to charge green cars with real green electricity.
Watch the report about PLATIO’s new solar cycle road:
If you are also interested in building a solar cycle path in your town?
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