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Solar panels could have great potential on noise barriers along motorways
Photo: photo2000 / IMAGO
Photovoltaic modules on noise protection structures along German motorways and railway tracks could make a significant contribution to climate protection and save up to one million tons of CO₂ every year.
This potential was revealed by an analysis carried out by the German Weather Service (DWD) together with the Federal Railway Authority (EBA) and the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt).
The DWD in Offenbach announced that the noise protection facilities along the railway lines, motorways and federal roads were around 5800 kilometers long.
According to a statement, the DWD used satellite data to calculate how much electricity the photovoltaic modules could supply.
"We took into account the solar radiation as well as the alignment and the angle of inclination of the noise protection devices," Frank Kaspar, coordinator of the topic "Renewable Energies" at the DWD, is quoted as saying.
»A total of around 1500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity could be generated annually«.
Around 450,000 households could cover their annual electricity consumption with this.
According to this, noise barriers along the motorways should have great potential.
About 80 kilometers are made up of steep walls, i.e. metal frames filled with stones;
Noise protection walls come to about 2500 kilometers.
In both cases, the area that can be used for photovoltaic modules is around ten percent.
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So-called noise barriers, which are often overgrown with grass and are reminiscent of dikes, are said to have the greatest potential.
There are around 1,300 kilometers of these embankments along the freeways, and they have an annual yield potential of around 1,200 GWh if 50 percent of their area is built on with photovoltaic systems.
However, the noise and operational properties of the structures would have to be retained.
Green noise protection structures are often also relevant under nature conservation law.
These limitations are included in the estimates.
ani/dpa
