Application of ENROAD tool for pre-feasibility evaluation of renewable energy projects within the road environment

Abstract

Roads are vital infrastructures for the mobility of people, transport of goods and, in general, for every country’s economic development. On the other hand, roads have a significant impact on the environment throughout their life cycle. Thus, GHG emissions from the transport sector in the EU have substantially grown in the last few years, unlike other sectors like energy or manufacturing industries, which managed to greatly reduce their GHG emissions. Several solutions are currently in place to minimize the environmental impact of roads, such as the use of more sustainable materials, the use of biofuels by vehicles, the promotion of cycling and public transport, or the electrification of roads. The use of renewable energies, such as solar and wind energy, should also be considered to power road infrastructures and services such as lighting, signaling or even electric vehicle charging stations. A case study is presented here for application with ENROAD, a web-based, open source, road-focused tool for decision making at a very early stage of investments in renewable energy projects. The solution provided shows the potential use of a specific site to cover the energy needs of a road infrastructure, also allowing the comparison between different generation alternatives.