RAST: RoundAbout Solar Tracking

Abstract Roundabouts became popular worldwide as a tool to reduce the number of car accidents and the EU encourages and promotes this technology as a solution to the problems of urban and extra-urban traffic. RAST (Roundabout Solar Tracking) systems are designed to exploit the available space in roundabouts, which are already equipped and monitored, in order to produce electricity with a photovoltaic single axis tracking system. The energy produced can be used directly by the surrounding facilities or stored and consumed later or channelled to nearby car charge points. The amount of energy that can be produced on a single roundabout is limited by the land size and is normally in the range 100-400 kWp, but the number of suitable roundabouts in cities is high. Therefore, RAST could make an important contribution to the energy production.