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After developing the methodology, we applied it to the case of the Netherlands highways. We show that the average irradiation on the Dutch highway network is around 880 kWh/m2/y, 35% less than the potential of an optimally tilted conventional PV system in the south of the Netherlands. Covering the entire 1600 km of the Dutch highways network with solar road modules of poly c-Si, mono c-Si and CIGS would respectively generate 5.2 TWh/y, 6.6 TWh/y, and 3.4 TWh/y of DC electricity. This could be used to fully power the Dutch national public lighting demand. Moreover, to include the effect of traffic on these values, a model was developed to account for the energy potential reduction due to vehicles shading. Using real traffic data from two of the top-four busiest roads in the Netherlands, the A12 and A16, it was found that traffic accounts for an average of 3% reduction of solar road irradiation and DC yield potential. The maximum reduction of 9% was observed in particular locations, such as bridges and nearby ramp roads. The result of such mapping methodology could serve as a useful tool for research advisory, private industry, and governmental projects., Photovoltaic Materials and Devices, Transport and Planning, Electrical Sustainable Energy

With cities getting more densely populated and more energy demanding, infrastructure integrated PV technology has gained more interest from researchers, companies and governmental institutions. Among the many urban surfaces that have been studied to be used to generate solar energy, roads are one of the most enticing but controversial as well. It is first of all crucial to understand if their energy potential will be sufficient to make solar road installations a reasonable investment to begin with. As rooftop irradiation maps start to become the hotspot in the branch of solar energy modelling, the same attention should be directed to solar roads. This research aims to develop a modelling methodology to easily and quickly estimate the potential of solar roads and provide the first irradiation and DC yield potential map of solar highways in the Netherlands. The map could serve as a useful tool for advisory of research, private industry and governmental projects that helps to individuate optimal sites for solar road installation in the Netherlands. The average irradiation along highways is found to be around 880 KWh/ m2/y, 35% less then the potential of an optimally tilted conventional PV installation in South Holland. The most irradiated highways result to be A31, A5 and A200, with an average irradiation between 980 and 1000 KWh/ m2/y. The analysis of the sky view factor along the highways, discloses that in most of the cases highways are in almost free horizon conditions. This makes them an appealing location for PV installations. The DC yield potential of solar highways is obtained assuming three different technologies: mono crystalline silicon, poly crystalline silicon and CIGS. The scenario of having the entire Dutch highways network renovated into solar roads is considered unrealistic. Therefore, a glueable solar road technology is assumed. Solar highways can generate on average a DC yield of 138 kWh/m2/y in the Netherlands if poly crystalline silicon is assumed.