Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses
Abstract Photovoltaic (PV) installations are a leading technology for generating green electricity and reducing carbon emissions. Roofing highways with solar panels offers a new opportunity for PV development, but its potential of global deployment and associated socio‐economic impacts have not been...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Earth's Future |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003975 |
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| author | Hou Jiang Ning Lu Jun Qin Ling Yao Xu Lian Jijiang He Tang Liu Chenghu Zhou |
| author_facet | Hou Jiang Ning Lu Jun Qin Ling Yao Xu Lian Jijiang He Tang Liu Chenghu Zhou |
| author_sort | Hou Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Photovoltaic (PV) installations are a leading technology for generating green electricity and reducing carbon emissions. Roofing highways with solar panels offers a new opportunity for PV development, but its potential of global deployment and associated socio‐economic impacts have not been investigated. Here, we combine solar PV output modeling with the global highway distribution and levelized cost of electricity to estimate the potential and economic feasibility of deploying highway PV systems worldwide. We also quantify its co‐benefits of reducing CO2 equivalent emissions and traffic losses (road traffic deaths and socio‐economic burdens). Our analysis reveals a potential for generating 17.58 PWh yr−1 of electricity, of which nearly 56% can be realized at a cost below US$100 MWh−1. Achieving the full highway PV potential could offset 28.78% (28.21%–29.1%) of the global total carbon emissions in 2018, prevent approximately 0.15 million road traffic deaths, and reduce US$0.43 ± 0.16 trillion socio‐economic burdens per year. Highway PV projects could bring a net return of about US$14.42 ± 4.04 trillion over a 25‐year lifetime. To exploit the full potential of highway PV, countries with various income levels must strengthen cooperation and balance the multiple socio‐economic co‐benefits. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0606e7d5b6b2493c99b6f5e2a30dd057 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2328-4277 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth's Future |
| spelling | doaj-art-0606e7d5b6b2493c99b6f5e2a30dd0572025-01-29T07:58:53ZengWileyEarth's Future2328-42772024-07-01127n/an/a10.1029/2023EF003975Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic LossesHou Jiang0Ning Lu1Jun Qin2Ling Yao3Xu Lian4Jijiang He5Tang Liu6Chenghu Zhou7Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Engineering Columbia University New York NY USAResearch Center for Energy Transition and Social Development Tsinghua University Beijing ChinaSchool of Information Engineering China University of Geosciences (Beijing) Beijing ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaAbstract Photovoltaic (PV) installations are a leading technology for generating green electricity and reducing carbon emissions. Roofing highways with solar panels offers a new opportunity for PV development, but its potential of global deployment and associated socio‐economic impacts have not been investigated. Here, we combine solar PV output modeling with the global highway distribution and levelized cost of electricity to estimate the potential and economic feasibility of deploying highway PV systems worldwide. We also quantify its co‐benefits of reducing CO2 equivalent emissions and traffic losses (road traffic deaths and socio‐economic burdens). Our analysis reveals a potential for generating 17.58 PWh yr−1 of electricity, of which nearly 56% can be realized at a cost below US$100 MWh−1. Achieving the full highway PV potential could offset 28.78% (28.21%–29.1%) of the global total carbon emissions in 2018, prevent approximately 0.15 million road traffic deaths, and reduce US$0.43 ± 0.16 trillion socio‐economic burdens per year. Highway PV projects could bring a net return of about US$14.42 ± 4.04 trillion over a 25‐year lifetime. To exploit the full potential of highway PV, countries with various income levels must strengthen cooperation and balance the multiple socio‐economic co‐benefits.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003975highway photovoltaicscarbon emission reductionsustainable development goalstraffic deathsocio‐economic burden |
| spellingShingle | Hou Jiang Ning Lu Jun Qin Ling Yao Xu Lian Jijiang He Tang Liu Chenghu Zhou Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses Earth's Future highway photovoltaics carbon emission reduction sustainable development goals traffic death socio‐economic burden |
| title | Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses |
| title_full | Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses |
| title_fullStr | Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses |
| title_short | Roofing Highways With Solar Panels Substantially Reduces Carbon Emissions and Traffic Losses |
| title_sort | roofing highways with solar panels substantially reduces carbon emissions and traffic losses |
| topic | highway photovoltaics carbon emission reduction sustainable development goals traffic death socio‐economic burden |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003975 |
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