Solar pavements: A critical review

Resilient, smart and sustainable: these are the keywords for the next generation of road infrastructures. As a renewable and environment-friendly energy harvesting pavement, the concept of a solar pavement has become one of the most researched new highway transportation infrastructures with a goal to transform the road system from the energy consumer to the energy provider, and eliminate or alleviate pollution from the source of energy. At present, the commercial technology through photovoltaic is limited by space installation requirements, which restricts its popularization and application. On the other hand, applying photovoltaic power generation technology to the pavement can provide sustainable power support for smart transportation in the future. This paper introduces the working principle and basic features of solar cell and solar pavements, and summarizes the research status of solar pavements, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of different solar pavement structures. The cost-effectiveness of four typical solar pavement structural systems is evaluated, and a case study is presented. Results show that the net present value (NPV) and Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of Hollow slab solar pavements are the lowest. Although the benefits deriving from the solar pavements are not enough to cover the cost during 20 years of lifetime, and it would be economically attractive if the LCOE will be lower than 0.2 $/kWh. With review and case study, the study provides a thorough and needed platform for more advances of the concept of solar pavements.