The best thing about us humans is that we never give up and are constantly on the move to find new useful methods to utilize renewable energy. “Going Solar,” an Australian enterprise with a $6 million turnover, has hatched an innovative idea, one that’s not been tried before. They have installed solar panels in the highways but unlike the regular ones, these function as sound blockades!
Originally installed at Tullamarine Calder Interchange in Australia, this innovative solar energy sound barrier roughly produces around 18.7 megawatts electricity per year and is constructed from 500 meters of vertically disposed photovoltaic panels. The installation near the highway makes the energy travel swiftly to its destination, delivering rapid power to homes in the nearby areas. This whole project is beneficial as it’s affordable and sustainable along with the added benefit of noise reduction. Regular panels need a lot of space, hence this project was executed by keeping space restrictions in mind, which ultimately resulted in the achievement of an ATRAA award for the best grid-connected system.
Via: Inhabitat
Comments
Not a bad idea at all.
You know it solves one of the biggest space problems by city dwellers. The typical solar panels demand large farms/ grounds for setup and in a city there is not much of space. So this is labored keeping them in mind. Which makes the whole project advantageous as it’s reasonably priced and sustainable along with the added benefit of noise reduction. Lets just hope India starts taking such measures soon enough.
But I wonder how the noise reduction will be affected if the solar panel has to follow the sun path thru the day. Obviously they would have thought of it, but just wondering ...:)
We have a long way to go....to come up with such eco projects.
I agree with you and that’s depressing in itself. We have the brain but we don’t apply it, i don’t understand why. But it’s a big move that we Indians are also becoming more and more concerned about the environment. For example, these days’ builders install solar lights, geysers, cookers, ovens in the upcoming building. It is a great way of spreading awareness. In fact my grandparents have solar cookers and water heaters. Just hope that we continue this way..we surely have a long way to go, but all this certainly is a step.
Though we don’t have too many smaller eco-projects in India, I have read about this largest in the World solar project coming up in Gujarat. I believe in India there are very few players in this field and hence we don’t have too many projects.
we should all give our fullest support to efforts such as this..it would give us full benefits such as gas saving devices or even eliminate the use of fuel which causes pollutions..