Bicycle plus photovoltaic: a perfect combination. The Netherlands has led the way with SolaRoad — and that is quite literally the case: the cycle path that generates solar energy, thanks to photovoltaic panels installed in place of asphalt, is delivering efficiency results that exceed initial projections.

"We did not expect such a high yield so quickly," said Sten de Wit, spokesperson for SolaRoad. The solar cycle path, which opened a few months ago, has already generated more than 3,000 kilowatt-hours, as de Wit explains: "This means it can supply electricity to a household for a year, or allow an electric scooter to travel around the world two and a half times. If we translate that into annual yields, we expect to exceed the 70 kilowatt-hours per square metre per year that was projected as the maximum possible in laboratory tests. We can conclude by saying that these first months have been a real success."

Since November, when it opened, more than 150,000 cyclists have ridden along SolaRoad, a project that remains in its pilot phase for at least three years.

A success story that has also managed to generate interest in follow-up pilot projects in other provinces of the Netherlands. The province of North Holland has even signed a cooperation agreement with the American state of California in relation to the SolaRoad project.

The signing of the collaboration is driven by the greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy production targets set for 2050 by what is considered the most forward-thinking state in the United States on these issues. The agreement also provides for an exchange of data, technologies and information covering other areas of sustainable mobility, including electric transport.