Are Motorways the Solar Power Stations of the Future?
Renewable energy is being increasingly used in sustainability strategies of companies, countries and people around the world, and its generation is on the up.
However, in some areas, the public are against wind turbines and solar farms, which means companies are having to find innovative solutions to generate as much energy as is demanded.
In Germany, this looks like solar motorways.
What is a solar motorway?
Created by the special-purpose association and the planned renewable energies innovation park (Innovationspark Erneuerbare Energien), which was founded in 2017, solar motorways propose using less desired land alongside roads to mount solar panels.
Volker Mielchen, Managing Director of the special-purpose association Landfolge Garzweiler commented: “In densely-populated Germany, infrastructural projects encounter resistance.”
Consulting firm Drees & Sommer SE has produced a feasibility study for the local special-purpose association for the rehabilitation and repurposing of the land, Zweckverband Landfolge Garzweile. The report explores how combining the motorway infrastructure and the energy generation hopes to improve public perception of solar energy.
“Routes and infrastructure can facilitate the production of renewable energy from solar panels on previously unutilized areas,” Volker explains.
“This could create synergies between energy production and wind and noise protection.”
Drees & Sommer: Technical and economic viability
The 24-megawatt pilot project, which takes place over 30 kilometres in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphali, had its legal, technical and economic viability tested within the Drees & Sommer feasibility study.
“Our research has demonstrated the great potential of solar motorways for the development of sustainable infrastructure,” says Alexander Vorkoeper, Senior Consultant at Drees & Sommer.
At 13,200 kilometers, Germany’s motorway network is the fourth-longest in the world,” he said. This makes it a perfect country to test the theory, which will not be possible on every stretch of motorway due to a series of factors.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has calculated that 5% of Germany’s land area is covered by transport routes, including not only motorways but also parking spaces and noise barriers. This holds the potential for 300 gigawatts of additional PV output. To put this in perspective, as of April 2024, photovoltaic systems with a total generating capacity of 81.5 gigawatts were installed on German roofs and land.
Meet Drees & Sommer
Drees & Sommer is an international consulting firm specializing in the construction and real estate sector, headquartered in Germany.
Founded in 1970 by Gerhard Drees and Hans Sommer, the company has grown to employ over 6,000 people across 63 offices worldwide.
Drees & Sommer offers a comprehensive range of services, including development and process consulting, infrastructure consulting, project management, engineering, and real estate consulting.
The company is known for its focus on sustainability, innovation, and digitization in the built environment. It operates as a partner-managed European stock corporation (SE), with all shares held by active or former managers.
Drees & Sommer's expertise spans various sectors, from healthcare to hospitality, and they are involved in around 6,500 projects globally.
In recent years, Drees & Sommer has expanded its presence in the UK market through strategic acquisitions, including Procore in 2017 and AA Projects in 2023.
The company's mission is to create a world we want to live in by uniting seemingly opposite concepts such as tradition and future, economy and ecology.
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