Evergreen Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: ESLR) announced that the first phase of construction of an installation placing more than 16,000 solar panels on the roof of the tunnel of Germany's A3 highway using Evergreen Solar panels is nearing completion. When finished, the 2.8-megawatt solar installation will be one of Germany's largest and first to be located on a public highway.

The installation, located near Aschaffenburg, Germany, occupies 2.7 kilometers of the A3 tunnel roof. German-based solar installer Ralos is overseeing the construction and Goldbach-Hoesbach, which purchased the land from the German government, will oversee the projects interconnectivity to the power grid. The €11 million investment in the project is expected to be paid back through cost savings over 16 years.

“This project is a testament to the fact that when both government and developers work together in a creative and goal-oriented way, positive results such as clean, renewable energy can be the result,” said Peter Rusch, Evergreen Solar’s director of marketing and sales for Europe, the Middle East and Asia. “Theoretically, there’s a huge amount of free space on highway bridges and tunnels. If this example is replicated throughout Germany, the country’s market share on solar energy could rise substantially.”

"Theoretically, there's a huge amount of free space on highway bridges and tunnels. If this example is replicated throughout Germany, the country's market share on solar energy could rise substantially." -- Peter Rusch, Director of Marketing & Sales - Europe/Middle East/Asia, Evergreen Solar