Renewable Energy Guide for Highway Maintenance Facilities
The objective of this research is to develop best practices for the planning, design, and operation of new and retrofitted highway maintenance facilities that are sustainable and energy efficient over their service lives through the effective use of energy capture technologies. The best practices shall be presented in the form of a guide that provides regional- and facility function-specific information and is suitable for possible adoption by AASHTO. The guide shall include case studies of the planning, design, and operation of typical, new and retrofitted state DOT maintenance facilities in a variety of geographic and climatic regions in the United States; the facilities shall represent different sizes, functions, ages, and energy usage.
In this research, the term "highway maintenance facility" is defined as a building used to garage, repair and maintain, or both, vehicles and equipment, with associated storage, shop, office, and other occupied spaces. The term "energy capture technology" refers to the use of both active, renewable (such as wind, solar, and ground-source) energy sources and passive (such as solar-thermal) building and site modifications.
