Colas Japan and its partner TOA Road recently began marketing the Wattway photovoltaic road surface in Japan – an initiative that marks a new stage for rolling out this innovative solution on an international scale.

Wattway Pack boasts an installation area of between 3 and 18 photovoltaic panels connected to an energy storage system. The device is used to power roadside electrical equipment (lighting, surveillance cameras, charging stations for electric bikes and Wi-Fi hotspots) so that they are autonomous even if the electrical network is unavailable.

Wattway Pack is an off-grid solution for generating energy that is suitable in particular for urban areas, parks, cycle paths and charging points for soft mobility.

"Wattway is a complementary solution for developing renewable energy in this country that is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and where the available surface area is very limited, explains Kaoru Naganuma, Director of Colas Japan."

"Wattway has all the potential to become a future solution for generating photovoltaic power in the cities of Japan, especially as an energy source for emergency centres when there is a natural disaster, adds Takashi Matsumura, TOA Road Chief Technology Officer."

TOA Road, a Japanese construction group and partner of Colas Japan, is also carrying out trials to assess Wattway’s resistance to the weather conditions in Japan so they can consider other uses for the solution in the country.

Wattway is a technological innovation developed jointly by Colas and the French National Institute for Solar Energy (CEA-INES). This new project is a continuation of the company’s international roll-out, which began several years ago.