The solar pedestrian walkway – completed in Europapark – was inaugurated by Philip Broeksma, a local councilor for the energy transition, and is part of the European MAKING-CITY project.
2544 solar tiles
The solar footpath was created by BENG Products, Royal BAM Group and Royal SjoukeDijkstra. The Hungarian company Plateo makes solar tiles.
The system consists of 2,544 solar tiles, each measuring 35 by 35 cm. Alderman Broeksma: ‘This solar footpath contributes to our ambition to be CO2 neutral by 2035. It is doubly sustainable, because the solar tiles are made from recycled plastic. And the space is used dually: the solar footpath generates electricity, while you can just walk on it.
Europa Park
The power generated is supplied to the municipal office in Harm Buiterplein, making the building more sustainable.
Within the EU MAKING-CITY project, Groningen is designated with Finnish Oulu as a lighthouse city. Both cities are currently gaining experience in what are called positive energy zones (PED): homes and buildings within this zone are becoming more sustainable so that they produce more energy than they consume. One of the areas in Groningen is the area around the Europapark, with buildings like Mediacentrale, Powerhouse Helperpark and Sportcentrum Europapark, already energy positive.
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