Noise barriers along highways can be used as a source for clean energy. Used to dampen the loud sounds of traffic, these noise barriers just sit there, usually not even very pretty. So engineers at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands created barriers with colored panels that receive light and direct it to the edges of the panels where solar cells harness the energy. Thanks to the colored panels, the sound barriers suddenly look stunning, too. The technology is currently being tested on Dutch highways.
Generating solar energy from noise barriers
More of Today's Solutions
How this city in Illinois plans to stop homelessness by the end of the year
Less than a decade ago, more than 700 people were homeless in the small, 150,000 person city of Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles northwest ...
Read MoreThis map shows what Indigenous land you live on
If you’ve attended a virtual lecture or presentation lately you may have noticed that the speakers initiated the event with an acknowledgment of which ...
Read MoreMore on beavers and rewilding
We decided to dust off and update this innovative solution to restoring habitats with the most industrious aquatic mammal: beavers. At The Optimist Daily, ...
Read More9 driving changes you can make to save more and burn less
Gas prices keep going up. While many of us can’t yet afford an electric vehicle, and we still need to get places, there are ...
Read More
