Name: Tourouvre solar road
Rating: 2

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France

Normandy

Mortagne-Au-Perche

Tourouvre-Au-Perche

Tourouvre solar road

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Places to see

France

Normandy

Mortagne-Au-Perche

Tourouvre-Au-Perche

Tourouvre solar road

Recommended by 7 road cyclists

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Location: Tourouvre-Au-Perche, Mortagne-Au-Perche, Normandy, France

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Best Road Cycling Rides to Tourouvre solar road

5.0

(1)

riders

1. Campagnarde Loop — Parc Naturel Régional de la Perche

47.1km

02:10

510m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

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2. Etang de la Conturbie – Tourouvre solar road loop from Bourth

77.4km

03:34

490m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

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3. Etang de la Conturbie – Château des Bois-Francs loop from Randonnai

66.3km

03:02

450m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

Tips

Fabrice Rigalleau

August 1, 2022

Inaugurated in 2016 with strong media coverage by Ségolène Royal (then Minister of the Environment and Energy), this section of road had been equipped with special solar panels over a length of one km. It was a world first intended to serve as a test for the manufacturer (Colas Wattway), the Region and the State. After an initial period of 3 years, the findings were mixed. Indeed, the solar panels had suffered premature deterioration due to traffic, bad weather and rotting tree leaves that had fallen on them. The specific surface caused noise pollution leading to discontent among the neighborhood, forcing the town hall to reduce the speed from 70 to 50 km/h on this section. In some areas, solar panels had come loose from the roadway and had to be removed. The system had sometimes tripped due to storms. All stakeholders had agreed in 2019 that the results were not there, because the road produced much less electricity than anticipated, while the maintenance and repair costs were high.

But, based on this experience, the manufacturer developed other prototypes and a second generation of solar panels was installed at the end of 2021 over a length reduced to 400m. The objective of this second phase of the experiment, with a planned duration of two years, is to continue to improve the photovoltaic road surface technology.

Translated by Google •

Fabrice Rigalleau

November 2, 2024

After seven and a half years of experimentation, malfunctions and a yield well below expectations, this solar road was finally dismantled in the summer of 2024, signaling the failure of a certain technological utopia. The electricity production was never at the level of the hopes raised: in 2022 for example, the figures indicated that the road could only supply electricity to three homes. The idea of powering the village's public lighting, which had been launched at the start of the project, was quickly abandoned. From the first weeks of operation, many problems appeared: subsidence, fouling, noise pollution, etc. Technical problems that led to frequent closures of the road. And the dissatisfaction of locals and users ended up sounding the death knell for this pioneering experiment. In the end, the project turned out to be three times more expensive than conventional solar panels. Despite these setbacks, the manufacturer behind the project insists on the importance of the lessons learned. Recognizing that their photovoltaic panels are not suitable for a conventional road, the company decided to direct its technology towards cycle paths, parking lots or sidewalks, and other passages subject to less damaging traffic constraints. In any case, the idea of covering our roads with photovoltaic panels, where cars, trucks and various agricultural machinery circulate, remains, in the current state of technology, a utopia.

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 240 m

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Tuesday 16 September

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Max wind speed: 15.0 km/h

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Location: Tourouvre-Au-Perche, Mortagne-Au-Perche, Normandy, France

Tourouvre solar road

1. Campagnarde Loop — Parc Naturel Régional de la Perche

2. Etang de la Conturbie – Tourouvre solar road loop from Bourth

3. Etang de la Conturbie – Château des Bois-Francs loop from Randonnai

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