Energy-generating roads

[run_to_win]

Researchers Roll Out Energy Generating Roads
December 16, 2008

Engineers at Innowattech in Israel recently created a new type of road that generates electricity as vehicles pass over it! The supercharged surface is embedded with piezoelectric crystals, which transform kinetic energy from passing vehicles into an electrical current. With widespread adoption, the technology could feed energy back into the nation’s burgeoning electric vehicle grid, transforming congested roadways into a clean green source of energy.

In the past we’ve featured energy-generating dance floors and tourist attractions, and just last week we brought you news of one in the Tokyo subway station, but we think that this one tops them all.

The energy-generating roadway works thanks to piezoelectric crystals embeded in the asphalt. As vehicles pass over them, the vibrations generate a small amount of electricity that travels to a larger transformer which then distributes the energy. The generators can be as thin as a few centimeters or can cover large expansive surfaces, and can be easily adapted for a variety of different transit systems including roadways, railways and even airplane runways.

Even though the amount of electricity generated is not that much (around 400 kilowatts per kilometer), we’re inspired by the innovative approach and far reaching implications of the technology. The team, led by Haim Abramovich, is getting ready to test the system on a 100 meter road next month in Israel.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/12/16/energy-generating-roads-by-innowattech/

A road that may someday recharge your electric car as you drive?  Is that cool or what?

[YoFuggedaboutit]

If they could find a way to get that electricity into people's homes, that would be amazing.

[Sunstroke]

I can see it now:

"In local news, a man was electrocuted tonight as he changed his tire on the side of the road..."

[MaineDolFan]

That would be a SHOCKING head line!

Thank you!  Try the veal, I'll be here all week...

[Dave Gray]

That's pretty sweet.  You wouldn't even have to recharge the cars.  As long as you could harness the energy, you could use it for whatever.  Pretty sweet!

[fyo]

If anyone remembers Newton's 3rd Law from physics... you could stick piezoelectic crystals in the tires of the car or reuse the energy stored by the shock absorbers when compressed (which would be much simpler than any of the other suggestions).

[Dave Gray]

You have to expect to lose a lot of the energy in the transfer.  The perpetual motion thing ain't happening...  But you can definitely improve the energy use -- that's all you can push for.

[fyo]

Formula1 has introduced "Kinetic Energy Recovery" for the upcoming season. The implementations are all (aside from being secret) purely mechanical, meaning they could "easily" be introduced in normal non-hybrid cars. The focus initially is on recovering energy wasted by the rear brakes. This energy can then be used as a "booster" to improve overall output by 80hp for 6-7 seconds per lap (limits set by current regulations).

This kind of technology could significantly improve fuel efficiency when driving in a city. Probably not going to help a whole lot for highways, but still...

A huge source (the largest, by far) of wasted energy when driving is the heat produced by the engine. The problem is that waste heat is notoriously difficult to convert (easily) into electricity. There's a lot of research in the area, though, with several promising technologies on the horizon, eg:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070603225026.htm