28. June 2023
In the consortium project “Energy generation and infrastructure”, the CBI, together with Hochtief and Eurovia, will identify possibilities for regenerative energy generation in the area of road infrastructure. Based on this, suitable application scenarios (locations, consumers) will be developed for selected applications and examined with regard to a practicable application (load curves, grid savings, utilization). The goal is the development of economic application concepts. The project is scientifically supported by the Institute of Highway Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. In addition, the Institute for High Voltage Equipment and Grids, Digitalization and Energy Economics at RWTH Aachen University is supporting this promising project.
Project Description:
The energy turnaround has a good chance if we succeed in generating energy from renewable sources in our own country in the future. Then nuclear power can be dispensed with, cars can be driven electrically and buildings can be heated regeneratively. In order to achieve these goals, the potential of urban areas should be further promoted in the future and areas of road infrastructure should be more strongly included. Horizontal areas, such as areas along the highway, can make a valuable contribution at this point. Possible applications have already been realized as demonstrators in various projects. These include the use of photovoltaic noise barriers[1] or horizontal photovoltaics[2] in the form of solar roads.
In addition to this type of electricity generation, however, heat recovery from road surfaces[3] also represents an important component. High temperatures within roadways could be used as a source of energy, simultaneously cooling the roadway and reducing mechanical stress in summer.
In the first step of the consortium project, inventories of regenerative energy generation will be carried out and examined in the context of traffic science. Based on this, economic application concepts will be developed.
[1] https://www.lärmschutzplaner.de/photovoltaische-laermschutzwaende/
