Construction has started on China's first national freight photovoltaic corridor along the Hengqin Expressway in Guangxi. The project installs a 7.17 MW solar system on service area roofs, parking canopies, ramps, and roadside slopes. It includes battery storage and smart microgrids to power truck charging and battery swap stations without drawing from the municipal grid. Heavy-duty trucks can swap batteries in three minutes or get 200 km of range from a 15 minute fast charge. The design avoids using arable land by placing panels on existing highway infrastructure. This is a practical example of integrating renewables directly into transport logistics and could serve as a model for other freight corridors.
