Netherland researchers are testing to see how effective a more new noise barrier with solar cells harnesses power. via treehugger

On a highway near Den Bosch, The Netherlands, a new form of solar technology is being tested on what is usually a mundane piece of infrastructure: a noise barrier.

Used to dampen the loud sounds of highway traffic for neighborhoods and businesses located alongside busy roads, noise barriers can improve the quality of life for those around the highways, but they also take up space and can be a bit of an eyesore.

Engineers at the Eindhoven University of Technology have come up with a solution that makes the barriers an attractive part of the landscape as well as a source of clean energy. The technology that is behind these new solar noise barriers is called luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs).

LSCs are colored panels that receive light and direct it to the edges of the panels where there are traditional solar cells that harness the solar energy.

Read more