Plans by China to open solar road that charges electric cars and melts snow have generated heat from Nigerians who are blaming the country’s technological backwardness on its myopic leadership.
Comments posted on Nairaland quoted Nigerians as extolling the Chinese technological feat.
A Nigerian by nickname Slim101 (m) described it as “Very thoughtful.”
He further opined “If and only if we can wake from our slumber in Nigeria, we can convert a lot of our bad situations to positives. Imagine when you’re coming home from work and Naija sun is grilling you alive.
“Just take a look at the solar panels beside the road and you’ll just be smiling. Because you know your sufferings will end as soon as you step into your apartment. All your solar batteries would have been fully charged,” the commentator observed.
He queried “Which way, our fatherland?
Another Nigerian by nickname Evablizin (f) described the Chinese new technology thus “This is fantastic,” querying “Which way Nigeria?
However, the solar road has a two-kilometre-long (1.2 miles) stretch of highway, situated in Jinan, could charge electric cars as they are travelling on it.
The two-lane road could also warm itself up in sub-zero weather to melt the snow on top so drivers could drive on it more safely.
Formed with special weight-bearing solar panels, the road can hold medium-size vans and has strong friction.
Once it’s completed, the highway would be connected to the power grid so it could provide electricity to the city.
The solar highway is formed with three layers.
The top layer is paved with the so-called ‘transparent concrete’, which is said to be as strong as the traditional road-surfacing material, asphalt concrete.
The middle layer is the power-generating layer consisting of solar panels.
The bottom layer is the insulation layer which separates the photovoltaic system from the damp earth.
