Partner: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
Affiliation: Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy (CASE), James Madison University

Project Summary

This planning-phase research project supports the Virginia Department of Transportation in the development of a Solar-Wind-Storage Hybrid (SWSH) power trailer. The goal is to provide a reliable, mobile renewable energy source for powering remote VDOT assets such as digital message signs, traffic signals, and road weather systems—especially in areas where grid power is unreliable or unavailable.

My Role

As a member of the CASE research team, I contributed to:

• Participating in bi-weekly technical meetings with VDOT, academic advisors, and private sector stakeholders

• Assisting in the development of a specifications database of off-the-shelf (OTS) hybrid power trailers

• Supporting planning efforts for experimental testing of hybrid systems at high-priority sites, such as I-64 milepost 1

• Contributing to the drafting of the Phase 2 Scope of Work, including methodologies, site identification, and budget estimates

Key Objectives

• Identify suitable off-the-shelf SWSH trailer systems or define specifications for a custom build

• Develop an experimental plan to evaluate performance of solar-wind hybrid systems in real-world use cases

• Prepare a detailed Phase 2 work plan for potential pilot deployment and testing