[Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government]
SEOUL -- Seoul will build an environment-friendly noise barrier tunnel clad in solar panels on an urban highway by the end of this year as part of efforts to reduce pollution and generate sustainable green energy.
The Seoul city government said Tuesday that it would build a 479-meter (1,571 feet)-long soundproof tunnel covered with 3,312 solar panels on the highway running from northeastern districts to the city's central area.
The tunnel can generate 993.6 kilowatts of electricity. "With the solar tunnel, we will be able to reduce the generation of air pollution and establish a footstone for an era of green growth," a Seoul city official was quoted as saying.
Other countries like Germany and China have adopted similar technologies. China built a solar power-generating expressway in Jinan some 379 kilometers (235 miles) south of Beijing in December last year. A two-kilometer-long stretch of the urban highway was fitted with weight-bearing solar panels which can generate electricity.
