Scaling ROW Energy Infrastructure Nationwide
The transition of the roadside right-of-way (ROW) from idle land to a high-functioning energy asset has reached a historic inflection point. For decades, the untapped potential of this national network—stretching across highways and railroads—has been a perennial subject of discussion among visionaries and pragmatists alike.
In his 2008 work, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, Ray C. Anderson forecasted this very necessity, noting that without a national commitment to a high-voltage transmission system modeled after Eisenhower’s interstate highway vision, the true energy transition would remain out of reach. Today, that vision is moving from proof of concept to implementation as the United States faces an unprecedented surge in industrial energy demand.
As the nation’s primary ROW experts, The Ray is bridging the gap between high-level geospatial analysis and the necessary coordination for deployment of infrastructure. This work is critical because the primary hurdle to meeting our domestic energy needs is the availability of land—specifically, land that allows us to build faster. Highway ROW represents a strategic network that offers essential connectivity across rural and urban landscapes while significantly reducing environmental permitting hurdles and community conflicts.
By providing the geographically validated data required for complex procurement, we are helping state partners transform these public lands into a critical component of the national grid. We are no longer simply mapping possibilities; we are ushering in a new era where transportation corridors serve as the foundation for distributed energy generation, battery storage, and high-voltage, long-distance transmission. In treating the ROW as a sovereign asset for the energy transition, we are building the technical and regulatory framework to ensure a resilient, electrified future for American commerce and mobility.
2025 State Partnership Highlights
A significant milestone in this pipeline was achieved in Pennsylvania, where the Turnpike awarded a power purchase agreement for 15 micro-grid ROW energy sites. These specific locations were first identified through the data-driven analysis performed by The Ray, demonstrating a successful and repeatable model for moving energy projects from initial identification to final award. This achievement serves as a blueprint for State DOTs nationwide, proving that precisely mapped ROW data is the essential first step for successful energy procurement.
This specialized work is driven by The Ray’s Geospatial Solutions team, whose expertise has allowed the organization to lead the industry in identifying optimal infrastructure corridors. Their ability to refine vast datasets into actionable intelligence is currently being utilized across the country through several key partnerships:
Georgia: In a continuing effort to scale ROW energy statewide, the team is facilitating final permitting for two energy arrays on Interstate 75 in Cherokee County. This project, a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Cobb EMC, will support the expansion of the EMC Cooperative Solar program. The Ray also continues to engage with Green Power EMC and Georgia Power to identify additional development opportunities.
Michigan: The Ray is working with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to identify high-potential sites for flexible financing through the state’s Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund (EERF). A primary focus is the Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) facility in Lansing; if awarded, this project would mark MDOT’s first fully energy-powered facility.
Washington: The team is supporting the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in refining a portfolio of 1,400 parcels deemed suitable for ROW energy development, ensuring only the highest-value sites move forward for consideration.
Iowa: Building on recent regional milestones, The Ray presented the top 20 candidate energy sites to the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) to facilitate future procurement and project selection.
Maryland: Our technical expansion in Maryland is bolstered by our partnership with Energy + Environmental Economics (E3). By leveraging E3’s deep expertise in energy economics and grid modeling, we are ensuring that Maryland’s ROW energy planning is aligned with the state's broader long-term energy goals.
The success of these partnerships reinforces The Ray’s role as the technical authority in ROW energy planning. By providing the data-driven framework needed to achieve long-range infrastructure goals, we are ensuring that the next generation of energy projects is both scalable and technically sound. As we look toward 2026, this stewardship model will continue to expand, enabling more states to use their roadside assets to meet the technical and operational demands of a modernized energy future.