In the Netherlands, Even Highways Generate Energy: New 65-Km Solar Plan Spans Bridges and Barriers

Five highways, 65 kilometers of route, and new spaces dedicated to photovoltaics. In the Netherlands, the province of North Holland has approved a project to install solar panels along sections of the A1, A2, A5, A9, and A22 highways, utilizing noise barriers as well. The measure was adopted on January 13, 2026, and republished in April following a technical issue with the initial publication. The 65 kilometers refer to the total length of the affected corridor, naturally: the installations will occupy only the surfaces identified as suitable.

The idea is to leverage existing infrastructure to generate electricity, avoiding the need to search for new land each time. And the Dutch have already started. Along the A50 highway, a noise barrier has been generating solar energy since 2019; on the N50, a bridge hosts photovoltaic panels; and near Rotterdam, a tunnel inaugurated in 2025 is powered by electricity generated along the highway. Delft University of Technology has also been studying for years the potential output of road surfaces converted into solar installations.

A noise barrier that generates enough energy to power 40 to 60 homes

Along the A50 highway, near the town of Uden, there is a 400-meter-long, five-meter-high noise barrier. At first glance, it appears to be one of many structures built to protect homes from traffic noise. However, this particular barrier also generates electricity.

It consists of 136 bifacial photovoltaic panels, covering a total area of approximately 1,600 square meters. The modules harness sunlight from both sides of the structure, and the generated energy is fed into the national power grid. According to Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch public agency responsible for major road infrastructure, the output is equivalent to the energy needs of approximately 40 to 60 households.

The barrier was completed in February 2019 as part of the Solar Highways project, which is also supported by the European LIFE+ program. For 18 months, researchers monitored its performance, assessing the technical and economic feasibility of integrating photovoltaics into acoustic barriers.

Installing panels along a highway requires more attention than installing them on a roof. There are shading issues, maintenance requirements, environmental conditions, and road safety standards. Furthermore, the structure must continue to act as a noise barrier. On the A50, these two functions have coexisted for years. Traffic flows, noise is attenuated, and the electricity is fed into the grid.

TU Delft research: How much energy could roads generate?

Delft University of Technology is studying the energy potential of the Dutch road network, in collaboration with the research organization TNO and SolaRoad. The project considers surfaces already designated for traffic as potential spaces for energy production. This research line also includes photovoltaic pavements, in which modules are integrated directly into the surface traversed by vehicles.

In 2022, a group of researchers from TU Delft published the study "Mapping the photovoltaic potential of the roads including the effect of traffic" in the scientific journal Renewable Energy, analyzing how much the Dutch highway network could produce if converted into photovoltaic surfaces. The researchers considered approximately 1,600 kilometers of highways, calculating the available irradiance and the effect of shadows produced by passing vehicles.

According to simulations, covering the entire network under consideration with solar modules could generate between 3.4 and 6.6 terawatt-hours of direct current electricity annually, depending on the technology used. These are theoretical values, calculated before accounting for losses due to energy conversion and management.

The analysis also identified a rather predictable limitation: cars cast shadows. Using real traffic data from the A12 and A16 highways, researchers estimated an average reduction in photovoltaic potential of approximately 3%, with peaks reaching 9% in certain locations, including bridges and sections near interchanges.

There is also a practical issue that the potential study does not resolve: road pavement must withstand vehicle weight, ensure traction, resist wear, and allow for maintenance operations. Therefore, those terawatt-hours represent what a photovoltaic highway network could theoretically produce.

Another study, conducted by Eindhoven University of Technology and published in 2024 in Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, examined noise barriers and the spaces adjacent to service areas.

In this case, the estimated potential for all existing highway noise barriers is approximately 200 gigawatt-hours per year, assuming that all are suitable for panel integration. Simulations conducted on three service areas further show that combining photovoltaic barriers with installations on available land could provide sufficient energy to charge over 300 electric vehicles per day in each of the analyzed cases.

From bridges to tunnels: where solar power has already made its mark

Dutch roads are becoming a testing ground for other systems as well. On the N50, at the Ramspolbrug movable bridge, photovoltaic panels have been installed along the structure. As Rijkswaterstaat explains, the bridge also generates electricity by recovering energy during the lowering of its movable section.

Another case is located along the A16 in the Rotterdam area. Here, in October 2025, the Rottemerentunnel, a highway tunnel approximately 2.2 kilometers long, was opened. The infrastructure includes dozens of energy-consuming systems, ranging from lighting and cameras to safety and ventilation systems.

According to the Dutch road authority, all the electricity required to operate the tunnel is generated by photovoltaic panels installed along the A16 highway. Therefore, the panels on the tunnel itself are not necessarily the source of its power; the energy comes from installations built in the surrounding areas.

To limit energy consumption, many devices use direct current directly, avoiding certain electrical conversions and reducing the amount of material required for connections. Rijkswaterstaat presents this section of the A16 as the world’s first energy-neutral highway tunnel in terms of infrastructure operation.

The new 2026 project spanning 65 kilometers of highways

The facilities already built have paved the way for a more extensive project: Energieroute Noord-Holland. The program involves twelve municipalities, the province of North Holland, several state agencies, and the grid operator Liander. The objective is to identify where to install solar panels along five highways, utilizing the side strips, noise barriers, and other available spaces. The measure published by the province on April 20, 2026, specifies the sections where installations can be realized and the conditions that must be met.

Near Diemen, for example, the installation of panels on the noise barriers of the A1 has been planned. The structures will continue to reduce noise pollution while adding electricity generation. The selection of these spaces required assessments regarding traffic safety, landscape impact, and potential reflections of sunlight toward drivers. The project is in the planning phase, and the realization of the installations will require further steps.

Interest in these solutions is also tied to land availability. In the Netherlands, where cities, agriculture, and infrastructure occupy a significant portion of the territory, installing new solar power plants often means having to choose between different uses of the same surfaces. Barriers, bridges, and road spaces offer the opportunity to leverage infrastructure that already serves a function, although installing panels in the lateral strips may still affect land and requires specific assessments.

Electricity production will then depend on costs, panel orientation, and the ability to connect to the grid. Not all surfaces will be usable, nor will all guarantee the same yield. Meanwhile, on the A50, the noise barrier has continued to do its job since 2019. Four hundred meters of panels, dozens of homes powered, and no need to build a separate structure to produce electricity. The road was already there.

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