User:Solar Noise Barrier

A solar sound barrier (also called solar noise barrier, solar sound wall, solar acoustical barrier) is an exterior structure designed to protect inhabitants of sensitive land use areas from noise pollution while generating energy from sun’s rays. Solar sound barrier walls are the combination of solar technology and highway/rail noise barrier structures. The solution takes advantage of the benefits of solar energy and the vast length of current and future noise barrier structures that crisscross urban and rural lands. Using the existing noise barriers and creating new solar noise barriers is expected to yield to a low-cost solar solution.

History:

An efficient way of noise prevention by application of photovoltaic modules was first demonstrated in Switzerland in 1989. Later, the solution was applied also in some other European countries. At present, seven countries have at least one working PV noise barrier; total installed capacity is 7.3MW. Germany leads with a total of 13 PV noise barriers which totals 4.8MW of capacity. Although Italy has only recently installed photovoltaics onto noise barriers, it currently has 1.5MW of PV noise barriers along two motorways. Italy is also home to the two longest PV noise barriers in the world which stretch for 1.7 km (1 mile). Switzerland now has a total of seven PV noise barriers installed across seven motorways and railway tracks which collectively make up 434.6kW of capacity. Australia, Austria, France and The Netherlands have all been slow moving on PV noise barriers, but nonetheless they all have at least one working PV noise barrier ranging from 24 to 216kW. Several projects are developed in the United States. Two 500 kW projects are expected to be launched by late summer by Ko-Solar in cooperation with state department of transportations in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Designs:

Different photovoltaic noise barriers can be built considering motorway features, barrier construction, the height of the barrier, and other factors (environment, abutters, preference of the department, etc.). Modules can be fixed on the main barrier (a wood, metal or a solid barrier) in different ways, such as vertical and tilted fixed such as in a zigzag construction or erected independently. This technology can be on-grid as well as off-grid.

Worldwide Projects:

Gehrlicher Solar, SolarArt, EWE AG in Germany and Ko-Solar in the United States advancing this technology. The United States leads the world in terms of the length of highway/railway noise barriers. Currently, Ko-Solar, a firm focuses on solar sound barriers and transportation-based solar applications, is working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the local governments and community to potentially install 2,500 feet of solar panels along a stretch of Route 128 in Lexington in Massachusetts. The project would produce 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, to be fed into the Eversource power structure. This is the “first” highway solar sound barrier in the Western Hemisphere. After three years of meticulous collaborate effort; the project has been approaching its final phase. Therefore, last year MassDOT conducted an abutter meeting for the location that we chose mutually. The residents overwhelmingly (100% vote) approved the project which will be raised in their neighborhood. This is a retrofit highway solar noise barrier project. In addition, Ko-Solar and the Connecticut Department of Transportation is considering another approximately 500 kilowatt project in Branford, Connecticut. Productive talks are being taken with a number of US states and Ko-Solar to implement the solar sound/noise barriers technology.

Books:


 * Prasad, D., Snow, M.: Designing with Solar Power: A Source Book for Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV); Earthscan, London 2005, ISBN 1-844071-47-2.

Reports:


 * Eiffert, P., Kiss, G.J.: Building-Integrated Photovoltaic; Designs for Commercial and Institutional Structures - A Sourcebook for Architects, NREL/BK-520-25272, February 2000


 * Borg, N.J.C.M, Jansen, M.I.: Photovoltaic noise barrier at the A9-highway in The Netherlands - Results of the monitoring programme; Nuon International, European Commission, 2001.


 * Thermie B Project: EU PVNB POT: Evaluation of the potencial of PV noise barrier technology for electricity production and market share; Project Number: SME 1479-97, Final Report Volume 1, TNC Gmbh, 1999.
 * US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Solar Noise Barriers report, August 2017

Papers:


 * Clavadetscher, L. and Nordmann, Th. (2004), PV on noise barriers, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Volume 12, Issue 6, pages 485-496, September 2004
 * Clavadetscher, L. and Nordmann, Th. (1999) 100 kWp Grid-Connected PV-Installation along the A13 Motorway in Switzerland - Plant Monitoring and Evaluation - Operation and Maintenance, Annual Reports for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, 1990 to 1999. Project No. 32046.
 * Nordmann, Th. and Götzberger, A. (1995) Motorway Sound Barriers: The Bifacial North/South concept and the Potential in Germany, 13th European Photovoltaic and Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, 23rd-27th October 1995, Nice, France, p. 707-709.
 * Nordmann, Th. and Götzberger, A. (1994) Motorway Sound Barriers: Recent Results and New Concepts for Advancement of Technology, IEEE First World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, Hawaii, December 1994, pp. 766-773.

Articles:


 * Wicked Local – Massachusetts – January 11, 2017 - http://lexington.wickedlocal.com/news/20170103/state-seeks-resident-buy-in-on-route-2-solar-arrays


 * Wicked Local – Massachusetts – October 28, 2016 - http://lexington.wickedlocal.com/news/20161026/lexington-could-take-advantage-of-new-solar-panel-technology

Social Media:


 * Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/solarsoundbarrier/
 * Tweeter: https://twitter.com/SolarSoundWall
 * LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/ko-solar