Work

Highway PV capacity potential: A GIS-Driven approach for assessment and prioritization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The increasing electricity demand, driven by electric mobility, has opened up opportunities to use highway areas for photovoltaic systems. Due to the vastness of this infrastructure, identifying suitable areas and estimating the production potential cannot be done manually. In response to this need, this paper presents a methodology for automatically assessing the photovoltaic potential of areas near highways using GIS data. The assessment considers different installation options, taking into account the morphology of the area and the costs of installation and maintenance. Tested on about 3000 km of Italian highways, the analysis shows that 85% of the available areas could be used, giving an estimated total capacity of 926 MWp and a production of 830 GWh per year.

Source: Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments

DOI: 10.1016/j.seta.2025.104384

Authors: Alessandro Niccolai, Vincenzo Cirimele, Diego Franceschini, Valerio Apicella, Benedetto Carambia, Sonia Leva

Institutions: Politecnico di Milano, University of Bologna

Language: English

Topic: Solar Radiation and Photovoltaics

Subfield: Artificial Intelligence

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Affordable and clean energy, Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,610