By Andrew Williams •
January 5, 2009
Engineers have created a new type of road capable of turning the vibration caused by cars into electricity.
The revolutionary new surface, created by engineers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, uses piezoelectric crystals embedded in the asphalt to generate up to 400 kilowatts of energy from a 1 kilometer stretch, enough to run eight electric cars.
Commenting on the innovation, a spokesman from the UK Environmental Transport Association said, “Many predict a massive shift to electric cars, and it may be the roads themselves that help provide some of the power needed.”
By Ariel Schwartz •
December 17, 2008
More news from the piezoelectrics front: engineers from Innowattech are planning to test a network of Piezo Electric Generators (IPEG) on a 100 meter stretch of road. As with other piezoelectric devices, the IPEGs embedded in the road will turn mechanical strain into an electrical current or voltage. The IPEGs can generate energy from weight, motion, vibration, and temperature changes.
By Ariel Schwartz •
December 10, 2008
I’ve noticed an increasing trend recently of people trying to squeeze out energy from every possible nook and cranny. The latest example of this is the world’s first energy-generating revolving door located at Natuurcafe La Port in the Netherlands.
By Ariel Schwartz •
December 4, 2008
Yesterday, we took a look at how piezoelectrics— crystals or ceramics that generate voltage when mechanical stress is applied— could allow cell phones to be powered by sound waves. Now the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has announced that it is installing piezoelectric elements in the floors of its Tokyo station in an attempt to generate power from passengers passing through ticket gates.
