Sustainable energy sources require space. Decision-makers in Austria are aware of this, and recently challenged scientists to come up with creative solutions.
In particular they were interested in new designs for noise barriers to save space elsewhere. The exact brief?
To combine motorway barriers with photovoltaic elements, and increase the country’s capacity to generate renewable energy.
Entrants were asked to incorporate existing noise barriers into their design or introduce novel concepts.
So long as drivers could still see, and the sounds of the motorway were muffled. Seven winners have now been selected.
Next step: implementation. Sunny prospects for Austria!
