Green Options » piezoelectric

Piezoelectric Road Produces Electricity From Traffic

Andrew Williams — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:59:04 +0000

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.”

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Israeli Company Testing Piezoelectric Road

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:49:58 +0000

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.

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Netherlands Train Station Features World’s First Energy-Generating Revolving Door

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:04:21 +0000

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.

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Tokyo Train Station Testing Power-Generating Floor

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:31:10 +0000

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.

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