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
Student Makers, a deeper dive: bringing free STEM to students on three contin...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM This article kicks off The Optimist Daily's Local Changemakers 2026 series, spotlighting changemakers 30 and under. It was ...
Read MoreMeet Vivian Ho: the 17-year-old who built a supply network around dignity, no...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM This article is part of The Optimist Daily's Local Changemakers 2026 series, spotlighting changemakers 30 and under. Most ...
Read MoreSperm-sorting tech identifies strongest swimmers to help couples conceive
In-vitro fertilization is certainly a potential avenue for couples who are having problems conceiving a child due to low-quality sperm. However, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that ...
Read MoreHow one Maine school is helping students heal in nature
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM At Morse High School in Bath, Maine, detention doesn’t always mean fluorescent lights and silent classrooms. Thanks to ...
Read More
