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China tests world’s first solar expressway

Dawood Rehman 09:26 PM | 28 Dec, 2017
China tests world’s first solar expressway
BEIJING - China on Thursday opened a 1-km section of the world’s first solar expressway for testing.

Solar panels are laid beneath part of a ring road surrounding Jinan, capital city of Shandong Province in east China, according to Xinhua.

The road surface is made of a transparent, weight-bearing material that allows sunlight to penetrate.

The panels, covering 5,875 square meters, can generate 1 million kwh of power in a year, enough to meet the everyday demand of around 800 households, according to Qilu Transportation Development Group, the project developer.

“The project will save the space for building solar farms and shorten the transmission distance,” said Xu Chunfu, the group’s chairman.

Electricity produced by the test section will be used to power highway lights, signboards, surveillance cameras, tunnel and toll gate facilities. Surplus power will be supplied to the state grid, Xu added.

Future functions to be developed include mobile charging for electric vehicles and providing internet connection. Xu however did not reveal the cost but said it was half of similar projects in foreign countries.

“With the development of solar power in China, the cost can be further reduced,” he said.

Project designer Zhang Hongchao, in an interview with CCTV cited by Quartz, said the road can handle 10 times more pressure than normal asphalt roads.

China leads the world in solar power development. Its annual increase of new installed generation capacity has been the largest in the world since 2013. As of the end of September, China’s installed photovoltaic capacity hit 120 gigawatts.

Beijing is billing the project as the world’s first photovoltaic highway.

In late 2016, a village in France opened what it claimed was the world’s first solar-panel road, running for about the same length as China’s new stretch though covering about half the area. In 2014, the Netherlands built a bike path embedded with solar panels.

Dawood Rehman
Dawood Rehman

The writer is a member of the staff.

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Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal rates on June 6, 2023

KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on June 06, 2023 (Tuesday).

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 304.9 308.15
Euro EUR 322 325
UK Pound Sterling GBP 377 381
U.A.E Dirham AED 83.5 84.5
Saudi Riyal SAR 80.5 81.5
Australian Dollar AUD 202 204
Bahrain Dinar BHD 758.82 766.80
Canadian Dollar CAD 226 230
China Yuan CNY 40.28 40.68
Danish Krone DKK 41.03 41.43
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.4 36.75
Indian Rupee INR 3.46 3.57
Japanese Yen JPY 2 2.08
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 925.2 934.2
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 61.94 62.54
New Zealand Dollar NZD 173.16 175.16
Norwegians Krone NOK 25.88 26.18
Omani Riyal OMR 742.38 750.38
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 78.38 79.08
Singapore Dollar SGD 220 222
Swedish Korona SEK 26.36 26.66
Swiss Franc CHF 313.87 316.37
Thai Bhat THB 8.21 8.36

Today's gold rates in Pakistan | gold price in Pakistan – June 6, 2023

Gold Rate In Pakistan Today:

KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 228,900 on Tuesday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs197,190.   

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs180,756 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 210,832.

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

Gold Price in Pakistan: Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Karachi PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Islamabad PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Peshawar PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Quetta PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Sialkot PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Attock PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Gujranwala PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Jehlum PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Multan PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Bahawalpur PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Gujrat PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Nawabshah PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Chakwal PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Hyderabad PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Nowshehra PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Sargodha PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Faisalabad PKR 228,900 PKR 2125
Mirpur PKR 228,900 PKR 2125

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