The world's first solar road, which converts sunlight to electricity will officialy open on Nov. 12 in Krommenie, a town northwest of Amsterdam.
The solar-powered bike lane, aptly called "SolaRoad" is 230 feet long consisting of 8 by 11 prefabricated concrete slabs into which solar cells are fitted underneath a layer of tempered glass.
The project, which costs $1.9 million will be extended to 328 feet by 2016, shelling an additional cost of $3.7 million once completed.
During the three-year test period, SolaRoad will be studied of its performance and how much energy it produces.
"The idea behind SolaRoad is simple: sunlight falling on the road surface is absorbed by solar cells and converted into electricity-the road surface acts as a large solar panel," the site said.
"The electricity generated in this way will find practical applications in street lighting."
SolaRoad was the result of the brainstorming of the government, private sector and the academe and intended to power street lighting, traffic systems, electric cars (which drive on the surface) and in the long run, households.
"This could be a breakthrough in the field of sustainable energy supply," TNO's Sten de Wit said in a statement.
He envisions that the solar roads could eventually be used to power electric vehicles, which are becoming a trend and gradually increasing in numbers.
"In particular, if the road concept will develop into a system, with which the generated electricity is transported to the vehicles driving on the road. Subsequently, a big step toward an energy-neutral mobility system will be possible."
"Electric vehicles are on the rise, but are not really a substitute until the electricity they use is generated in a sustainable way. Roads can generate power right where it is needed," de Wit explains in a publication for the contract research organisation TNO.
