The solar noise barrier project: 1. Effect of incident light orientation on the performance of a large-scale luminescent solar concentrator noise barrier

•Two 5 × 4 m2 luminescent solar concentrator noise barriers installed and performance monitored.•Largest luminescent solar concentrators ever reported.•The effects of self-shading greater in East/West facing panels than North/South.•Photovoltaics attached to the top of North/South facing panels and bottom of East/West facing panels perform best.

In this work we describe the relative performance of the largest luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) constructed to date. Comparisons are made for performance of North/South and East/West facing panels during a sunny day. It is shown that the East/West panels display much more varied performance during the day, as the structural elements of the barrier interfere with solar illumination and cause shading, but perform similarly for both front and back illumination conditions. The results of a more extended, 200 day measurement period mirror the results of the single sunny day results. This work demonstrates the importance of frame design to minimize self-shading of the LSC panels.