Peachtree Corners first to install surface solar panels on city street

Peachtree Corners recently unveiled the city’s new solar roadway system which produces energy for a solar-powered electronic vehicle charging station at City Hall, 310 Technology Parkway. According to the city, the project marks the first time that road surface solar panels have been installed and activated on an American city street.

The French-engineered road surface solar panels are located in a section of Technology Parkway’s autonomous vehicle test lane and provided through a partnership with The Ray, a nonprofit living laboratory and proving ground located along I-85 between LaGrange and the Georgia/Alabama state line.

The new system will produce more than 1,300 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually for a Level 2 EV charger at city hall at no cost to electronic vehicle motorists. The charger is also equipped with an energy storage system for nighttime charging. In the future, the system could power streetlights or other city infrastructure, including backup for grid outages.