Harnessing energy: an alternative way to view the management of highway assets

Abstract

Highway networks form the arteries of a country, allowing goods and people to flow, thereby creating the heartbeat of the economy. In the UK, the level of funding available to continue to maintain this network to a high standard is set to reduce dramatically. This paper explores the potential for energy to be harnessed from the forces that the network is exposed to everyday, solar, wind, rainwater and kinetic energy from vehicles, to provide additional funding to local authorities while also providing a potential solution to the trilemma of energy issues facing the UK: providing cheap, clean and renewable energy. The paper includes a set of recommendations follow to bring this technology from the prototype phase to mass roll-out.