Toward Sustainable Urban Transport: Integrating Solar Energy into an Andean Tram Route

Climate change has prompted the adoption of sustainable measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in urban transportation. The integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, offers a promising strategy to enhance sustainability in urban transit systems. This study assessed solar irradiation along the tram route in Cuenca—an Andean city characterized by distinctive topographic and climatic conditions—with the aim of evaluating the technical feasibility of integrating solar energy into the tram infrastructure. A descriptive, applicative, and longitudinal approach was adopted. Solar irradiation was monitored using a system composed of a fixed station and a mobile station, the latter installed on a tram vehicle. Readings carried out over fourteen months facilitated the analysis of seasonal and spatial variability of the available solar resource. The fixed station recorded average irradiation values ranging from 3.80 to 4.61 kWh/m2·day, while the mobile station reported values between 2.60 and 3.41 kWh/m2·day, revealing losses due to urban shading, with reductions ranging from 14.7% to 18.8% compared to fixed-site values. It was estimated that a fixed photovoltaic system of up to 1.068 MWp could be installed at the tram maintenance depot using 580 Wp panels, with the capacity to supply approximately 81% of the annual electricity demand of the tram system. Complementary solar installations at tram stops, stations, and other related infrastructure are also proposed. The results demonstrate the technical feasibility of integrating solar energy—through fixed and mobile systems—into the tram infrastructure of Cuenca. This approach provides a scalable model for energy planning in urban transport systems in Andean contexts or other regions with similar characteristics.