A section of world’s first solar panel road was just stolen

China’s pioneering into electricity-generating roads has taken a step back after a section of the road was stolen just five days after it opened, local media has reported (in Chinese). This setback comes just as China announced record solar electricity generation.

The world’s first solar panel paved highway opened in Jinan in Shandong on December 28 last year. But on January 2 a routine daily inspection found that a stretch of the solar panel surface was missing and the police were called.

The Qilu Evening News reported that a piece 15cm by 185cm was removed with damage to surrounding panels. The report quoted road staff as saying that the incident was clearly not simply damage or a rough job, but a planned and carefully executed plan.

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