Solar Is Stopping Noise Pollution

Sometimes freeways, and only cars, in general, can be loud.  In my neighborhood, someone with VERY loud motorcycle drives by daily, setting off every car alarm.  It's quite maddening. Some people even modify their cars to be louder.  Now, in a suburban setting, that is just mind-numbingly annoying.  Some states and cities are trying new designs to limit the noise pollution vehicles can produce.  In Lexington, Massachusetts, these vehicular noises deserve solar technology.

Solar Panel Technology

The government and the public are getting involved to head off this noise issue.  State officials and their private engineers are devising a solar sound barrier that will operate at 2,500 feet along their Route 128! They wouldn’t be sweating from scratch, though. There are engineer based people that are looking to install a solar panel based barrier.

This is where the government comes in, officials are also planning to channel the 825,000 kilowatt-hours of energy these solar panels will generate into Eversource Energy. They hope to start the solar installation this summer, and this is in hopes to make some excellent changes in what is going on.

Engineering company Ramboll Environ promoted the idea first. Then, they commenced the planning when Operations Director Eric Wood pitched the approach to the Board of Selectmen on October 24.

“[Lexington] will be the first town to approve this,” Wood stated. According to the director, this side of the world has never seen the solar technology they’re planning.

Community Support

Massachusetts officials won’t push through such a decision, though. They want the community’s ideas since the project would pilot new solar technology.

Dan Fielding, a liaison for MassDOT, notes that the state does not require residents’ approval to move forward, but Massachusetts will seek their approval anyway. If a majority leans against the project, the state won’t build. This could be an issue for places.

The Lexington community won’t pay for the solar sound barrier. Since the state would work solely with individual companies, those companies would shoulder the expense. In fact, the state could tax the business for using Massachusetts capital for the project.

Homeowners should have good reason to accept the project since, according to Wood, it will moreover reduce noise from the highway. The state built the current sound barrier a few years ago in response to residents’ complaints about noise. Still, those homeowners will get to voice their thoughts to the state soon.

Fielding acknowledges the potential of such a project too. Other countries, such as Australia and France, have famously used solar panel technology on sound barriers, but this sort of project would pioneer the technology in the US.

Massachusetts will develop the sound barrier plans a bit more before reaching for population input. Before the end of 2016, the state should open up the discussion to property owners directly influenced by the barrier.

So, we love the idea of sipping sweet tea on our calm front porches, highway noise silenced by a solar barrier. Ultimately, Lexington will have to make that decision.

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