Solar pavement with conventional modules for the Port of Valencia

From pv magazine Spain

Andalusia-based start-up Solum, which specializes in the development of smart and sustainable products for smart cities, has installed the first solar pavement in a port area in Valencia as part of a strategy set by Puertos del Estado, the Spanish state-owned company responsible for the management of the country's ports, for the complete decarbonization of port areas by 2030.

“The solar pavement concentrates an installed capacity of over 1 kW in just six square meters of surface and will feed a meteorological station,” a company spokesperson told pv magazine. It is expected to generate more than 1.9 MWh annually.

“To our knowledge, there are only two other companies in the world that manufacture solar pavements, but none of them do it based on a conventional module,” said Luis Muñoz, VP of Product & Innovation at Solum. “Most of the companies try to do a specific process with another technology. The problem is that this drives up costs and the efficiency is not that high. We decided to start with a conventional photovoltaic panel and add a series of materials to transform the module into a pavement.” These materials are already used in the photovoltaic industry and were applied to the project through a patented technology, he added.

The Solum solar pavement is claimed to have the same efficiency as a monocrystalline module with dark Tedlar. This material is said to be twice as strong as concrete and the patented engineering applied to the solution is claimed to make it resistant to loads, impacts and scratches. It also does not require special maintenance, even less than a conventional floor due to its hydrophobic properties, according to the manufacturer.

Each panel has dimensions of 50 x 50 cm and 2.5 cm thick. “In addition, it is installed in a single day with only two workers, and does not require public works,” Muñoz said. Another solar pavement recently installed in Barcelona required six days to install.

The Valencia solar pavement is Solum's second project after carrying out their first one in Seville, which is intended to charge electric scooters. The company will soon install two other projects, one in Madrid, the other in the Netherlands.