Photovoltaic System Integrated Into the Noise Barrier – Energy Performance and Life Cycle Assessment

The presented work is devoted to the analysis of the performance of an installation comprising photovoltaic modules (3.56 kWp) integrated into a noise barrier under temperate climate. The application of the DDS-Cad software enables to estimate the amount of electricity produced annually. The use of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) method, based on the material and energy balance of the system, allows the ecological evaluation of the analyzed solution. The designed installation, in which the thin film cadmium telluride modules were applied, can produce 3390 kWh of electric energy per year. This kind of photovoltaic system can be multiplied depending on the available number of acoustic panels oriented at the desired azimuth along the highway or railway.