Lexington To Be 1st In US To Hang Solar Panels On Noise Barriers

LEXINGTON, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is launching a project to place solar panels on noise barriers along a highway in Lexington.

MassDOT has agreed to pilot the highway solar Photovoltaic Noise Barrier project along Interstate 95 in Lexington, placing solar panels that will generate enough power for up to 120 homes.

The project involves retrofitting an already existing noise barrier along Route 128 into a PVNB that will be built by a Massachusetts-based solar energy powerhouse called Solect Energy which will finance, install, monitor, and maintain the project.

MassDOT plans to use the results of the pilot, including information about noise impacts, maintenance, cost, and community perception, to determine the possibility of PVNB applications elsewhere across the state.

In 2015, Ko-Solar and its partners approached MassDOT to discuss the concept of PVNBs, with over two dozen potential sites for the pilot before Lexington was ultimately chosen for the project's first location.

Sound levels will be analyzed to make sure the panels don't compromise the ability of the barriers to block noise. The state will also keep an eye on whether glare off the panels causes problems for drivers on the busy commuter highway.

The retrofit PV system capacity is expected to be 637.5 kW DC, and 802,000 kWh will be generated annually. This represents the equivalent of supplying 120 homes per year with electricity and will avoid roughly 1.4MM tons of CO2 emissions.

MassDOT and Ko-Solar gathered input from local stakeholders, a local advocacy group, and Lexington residents who live near the project site at a public meeting where MassDOT says people could raise concerns or questions about the project.

All voters approved of the project, MassDOT said, however, noise level monitoring will be required as part of the pilot program to see if PVNB affects the noise levels on either side of the highway.

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