Criminals steal piece of Chinese 'solar road' days after inauguration

China opened a "solar road" last December 28, with a 1-kilometer stretch of paved panels capable of turning sunlight into electricity. Less than a week after the road is open for public use, criminals have already stolen a piece of ground. According to the Chinese Qilu Evening News, the "wound" was between 10 and 15 cm wide and just under 2 meters long.

Because it is a small slice of the road's solar panels, the authorities do not believe it was the action of mere vandals or even bandits interested in reselling the material. This is because solar panels are relatively inexpensive, and the cut made to remove them was very accurate, implying that it was “professional work”. The repairs have already been made.

It is suspected that criminals are indeed interested in the technology employed in building the panels.

Thus, it is suspected that criminals are indeed interested in the technology employed in the construction of super-efficient panels (capable of converting 90% of all natural light received into electricity) and very thin. There is a protective layer on the bottom, the panels themselves in the middle and a layer of “transparent concrete” on the top. All this would be about 3 cm thick.

According to the journal, this is the first "photovoltaic road" in the world, but the stretch still works experimentally. There are also inductive coils underneath so that in the future electric cars can recharge their wireless batteries as they move along the road.

Authorities in China's Shandong Province are investigating the case, but there is no information yet on seized suspects or confirmation of their real motives for cutting off part of the road.

Criminals steal piece of Chinese "solar road" days after opening via TecMundo