【Friend Wife】

The Friend Wifevillage of Tourouvre-au-Perche in Normandy, France, is taking solar panelling from the roof to the street. The town says it's just unveiled the world's first solar panel road.

The 1 kilometre (0.6 mile) route, covered by 2,800 square metres of electricity-generating panels, was declared open on Thursday by the country's ecology minister, Ségolène Royal.

The panels have been covered with a protective resin that consists of fine sheets of silicon to help withstand the 2,000 motorists which use the road, while ensuring there is good grip between tyres and the roadway.

SEE ALSO: India built the world's largest solar plant in just eight months

Officials will see if the technology, called Wattway, can provide enough energy to power street lighting in the town of 3,400 residents over the next two years, according to The Guardian.

It's not a new idea however. A similar project in the Amsterdam, The Netherlands opened back in 2014, but on a cycle path instead of a regular road.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

If the trial proves successful, Royal wants to see the panels installed in one out of every 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) of road in the country.

France currently has a total of 1 million kilometres (621,000 miles) of road.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But the technology comes with a mighty price tag: The stretch of road cost 5 million Euros (US$5.2 million) to build, leaving some experts questioning the project's value.

"It's without doubt a technical advance, but in order to develop renewables there are other priorities than a gadget of which we are more certain that it's very expensive than the fact it works," Marc Jedliczka, vice-president of Network for Energetic Transition (CLER), told Le Monde.

Colas, the road's manufacturer, is hoping to reduce the cost of production of the panels.

It's also currently working on a hundred small solar experiments, half in France and half from abroad.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Watch the first surgery recorded with Snapchat Spectacles

---

Topics Sustainability

• Tech
• Science
• Entertainment
• Life
• Shopping
• Social Good
• Deals
• Games

• Every MCU movie villain ranked, from "Iron Man" to "Thunderbolts*"
• Best PSVR2 games: 8 launch games you should try
• Uber Eats workers keep riding in Australia's hazardous air with little support
• Watch this Australian magpie perfectly mimic the sound of emergency sirens
• Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24
• 'Sons of the Forest' early access: Release date, price, and platform details
• These YouTube videos of Florence Pugh singing will restore your youth
• Michelle Williams advocates for abortion rights at 2020 Golden Globes
• Q&A with tendercare founder and CEO Shauna Sweeney
• 'The Last of Us' has one detail it needs to fix

• 'Bridgerton' gets the real
• Thieves tried to kidnap a shark by disguising it as a baby
• Google's new 'highly cited' label highlights original reporting on the search engine
• Beyoncé's next 'Vogue' cover will be the first shot by a black photographer
• Searches for Bigfoot porn have jumped dramatically
• TikTok is reportedly testing a 'Watch History' feature
• Today's Wordle: Here's the April 3 answer, hints
• The 10 most streamed movies of the week. 5 won Oscars.
• NFL hall of famer Randy Moss made a powerful statement with his tie
• The Rock gifted his stunt double a new truck and it's so wholesome

• Hidden Siri Commands and Unusual Responses
• Pew study finds fitness tracking is linked to education and wealth
• Why 'Like a Dragon: Ishin' should or shouldn't be your first 'Yakuza'
• Uber Eats workers keep riding in Australia's hazardous air with little support
• Outdoor speaker deal: Save $20 on the Soundcore Boom 2
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for February 24
• Something Awful has shut down forum FYAD, citing 'Nazi poo poo'
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for February 23
• Whale Vomit Episode 5: Startup Monarchy
• Apple receives patent for color

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025
• Stephen Colbert rounds up the weirdest moments from the final Democratic debate
• Britain's bound to 'bung a bob for a Big Ben bong' because Boris and Brexit
• How to help those affected by the Turkey
• Best Max streaming deal: Save 20% on annual subscriptions
• 'The Pale Beyond' is a dangerous video game for dog lovers
• 'Project Runway' got awkward after a contestant mentioned the Kushners
• New photo of Archie and Prince Harry has heartwarming backstory
• The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
• 'OK, boomer' has made it to the Supreme Court