Solar pavement for historic square in Barcelona
The municipal government of Barcelona is supporting the development of a 50-square-meter pilot project to test the feasibility of PV-paving tech.
The Barcelona municipal authorities have chosen Plaça de Les Glòries Catalanes, a historical square, as the future site of a 50-square-meter demonstration project to test the feasibility of solar pavement. Spain’s Sorigué and Hungary-based Plati developed the winning technology.
The pilot project will be used to assess the potential of solar paving materials. The 340 mm x 340 mm x 61 mm solar panels feature electrical wiring and are covered with a highly resistant, non-slip glass. The modules function as normal urban paving stones that can be walked on. However, they have a combined power capacity of 9 kW.
In this first pilot test, the pavement will power a public bicycle rental service in Barcelona, in order to monitor the energy that is generated in real time. The developers expect to generate 7,560 kWh of electricity per year, which is equivalent to the total energy consumption of three households. A municipal commission will evaluate the results for a period of six months to determine the potential of installing the tech in other parts of the city.
