Optimization and performance testing for hollow slab with micro photovoltaic array of solar pavement

Solar pavement incorporates a photovoltaic power generation system into road engineering, playing a crucial role in advancing energy conservation, emission reduction, carbon neutrality, and sustainable energy development within the transportation sector. In order to enhance the power output of the hollow slab structure of solar pavement and improve its convenience of slab preparation and paving, a three-layer integrated hollow slab structure was developed. The numerical simulation of a three-dimensional finite element and the single-factor sensitivity analysis of its mechanical response were carried out. The slab size of the hollow slab structure was optimized and determined. Subsequently, the corresponding scale and full-scale models were prepared. The mechanical properties of the scale model and the indoor and outdoor power generation efficiencies of the full-scale model were evaluated, and the cost-benefit analysis was conducted. The results indicate that the optimized dimensions for the micro photovoltaic array-integrated hollow slab solar pavement (MPV-HSSP) are as follows: slab length of 800 mm, slab width of 800 mm, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plate thickness of the surface layer at 10 mm, cavity height of 40 mm, and partition plate thickness of 5 mm. The thickness of glass fiber-reinforced plastic is 10 mm for the load-bearing structure of cement concrete pavements and 18 mm for asphalt pavements. The MPV-HSSP structure exhibits excellent mechanical properties, and the measured annual power generation in the Changsha region was 61.48 kWh per panel. In areas with abundant photovoltaic resources (Hami), the levelized cost of electricity is 0.54 CNY/kWh, and the corresponding payback period is 7.38 years, offering a favorable cost-benefit ratio and effectively reducing CO₂ emissions by 1,560.73 kg/m² throughout the entire life cycle. Therefore, the MPV-HSSP offers a feasible approach for integrating transportation energy technology, which can effectively promote the efficient utilization of pavement solar energy and ensure road energy self-consistency.