The Highway Agency
M27 motorway, UK
Close up of Unisolar clad barriers alongside the M27 motorway in Hampshire.
The 1998 Transport White Paper set out the Government’s commitment to improve transport schemes that damage landscapes, townscapes, biodiversity and the aquatic environment.
The Highways Agency worked with Solarcentury, the UK’s leading solar energy company, to pilot a project on the M27 which tested the use of solar panels as a power source for lights and gantries on England’s motorways.
Solarcentury installed two rows of Solar Barriers on a south facing section of the motorway, which serve the dual purpose of generating power and reducing noise pollution.
The barriers utilise slightly different arrangements of panels for the two installations demonstrating the flexibility of Solar Barriers as a versatile, site specific solution. Both systems are effectively self-cleaning thanks to ‘anti stick’ coatings on the panels which minimise dirt build up due to spray from the passing traffic.
The performance of the Solar Barriers, which generate energy regardless of weather conditions, is being assessed with a view to expanding the program in forthcoming years.
The Solar Barriers, which capitalise on the under-utilised space of existing protective and sound barriers, were fast to install, demonstrating huge potential for costs reduction via increased economies of scale.
| Technology |
Solar PV |
| Installation Type |
Barrier |
| System size (kWp) | 10.00 |
| Forecast electricity generation / year (kWh) | 9,100.00 |
| Panel area (m2) | 170.00 |
| Building integrated |
Yes |
| Forecast CO2 saving / year (kg) | 3,900.00 |
| Date of last energy reading | 01/01/2001 |
| Type of project |
Public sector |
