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Can solar energy be used in highways?

The integration of energy and transportation is a prerequisite for ensuring a rational, practical, and sustainable evolution of energy conservation. This study proposes a planning strategy combining the maximum exploitation of solar resources and road area to utilize solar energy in highways entirely.

How to plan a road PV energy system?

Planning for the road PV energy system considering consumption self-sufficient rate. The maximum PV power generation of 1400.5 kWh realized by self-sufficient model. The integration of energy and transportation is a prerequisite for ensuring a rational, practical, and sustainable evolution of energy conservation.

How accurate is solar energy distribution of a road?

The solar energy distribution of the highway is accurately evaluated by 500 m long road segment, and the error is reduced by 50 kWh/m2. The effective photovoltaic-available road area for different facilities, such as central separators, guard rails, slopes, side slopes, and road borders, is quantitatively evaluated.

What types of energy can be collected from the road?

Over the past few decades, researchers have tried to capture and convert different forms of energy from the road into electricity, , , , including mechanical energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, and acoustic energy. The mechanical energy collection is mainly through the piezoelectric element, .

Are roads a potential source of energy?

In addition, because already-built roadways would be used, no additional land area would be required to capture this energy. For these reasons, roads represent a promising locale for energy conversion and have the potential to become among the largest sources of energy in the future.

Are there solar resources within the road area?

The results indicate that there are abundant solar resources within the road area. It demonstrates that solar resources could accurately characterized and error reduced to 50 kWh/m2 by using a 500 m long road segment. Additionally, the exploitability index was proposed to evaluate the magnitude of road area.