At present, electricity has
become a lifeline for human population. Its demand is increasing day by day.
Modern technology needs a huge amount of electrical power for its various
operations. Electricity production is the single largest source of pollution in
the whole world. All the methods of producing electricity have certain
drawbacks.
The burning of fossil fuels is the most widely used method of generating
electricity. However, this method has the major drawback of severe environmental
impact through air pollutant emission. Hydroelectric electricity generation
eliminates the need to burn fuel, but it also creates a significant
environmental impact on the water supply that drives the power generation
equipment.
Therefore there is no end of the different ways; one can generate pollution-free
electricity. At one hand, rising concern about the gap between demand and supply
of electricity for masses has highlighted the exploration of alternate sources
of energy and its (energy) sustainable use. On the other hand, traffic on road
all over the world is increasing day by day and thus, congestion on roads is
becoming inevitable with the fancy of masses towards personal transportation
systems for their growing mobility.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of
electrical power generation that does not negatively impact the environment.
The concept is not new, the application is a novelty. The first demonstration of
the piezoelectric effect was given in 1880 by the brothers Pierre Curie and
Jacques Curie using crystals of tourmaline, quartz, topaz, cane sugar, and
Rochelle salt (sodium potassium tartrate tetrahydrate).
Piezoelectricity refers to the ability of some materials - most notably crystals
and certain ceramics, including bone - to generate an electric potential in
response to applied pressure. The word is derived from the Greek piezo or
piezein, which means to squeeze or press. "The name of the game is harvesting,"
"Harvesting means energy which is available but is going to waste.”
Suitable Method of producing Electric Power:
The present invention relates generally to methods of electrical power
generation, and more particularly is a method and device to generate electricity
by using traffic on existing roadways to drive an electrical generator. Energy
demand and heavy traffic correlation motivate to dream about a device in the
road that would harvest the energy from the vehicles driving over it. For this,
embed piezoelectric material beneath a road can provide the magic of converting
pressure exerted by the moving vehicles into electric current. The method uses
an electrical generation device installed beneath the roadbed. The electrical
generation device includes a pressure plate covered with one or more protection
layers which lie beneath the surface of the road.
When a vehicle passes over the electrical generation device, the pressure plate
is pushed downward by the weight of the vehicle. The downward displacement of
the pressure plate is used to drive an electrical generator. The electricity
generated is then transmitted to a power grid, or collected and stored until it
is used for specific public infrastructure purposes such as lighting and
widespread use of the system would enable far greater scrutiny and hence
understanding of the behaviour of road vehicles. The infrastructure captures and
stores energy for reuse.
The piezoelectric effect converts mechanical strain into electrical current or
voltage and the system is expected to scale up to 400 kilowatts from a
1-kilometre stretch of dual carriageway. The generators are embedded between the
superstructure layers, and usually covered with an asphalt layer.
Piezoelectricity is used in the production and detection of sound, generation of
high voltages, electronic frequency generation and everyday uses such as
cigarette lighters and push-start propane barbecues. The system is based on
piezoelectricity, which uses pads of metallic crystals buried over hundreds of
meters of road to generate electricity when put under the pressure of quickly
moving traffic. According to Abramovich, one truck can generate 2,000 volts
which could already be used to power traffic lights or street lamps.
The generators are mounted with electronic cards supplying the storage system.
The laying of the present system, (embedding the generators and electronic cards
in to the roadway), can be done during paving of new roads or in the course of
the maintenance work in existing roadways, so it’s entirely retrofittable to any
road, and the heavier the vehicle, and the greater the number of vehicles, the
greater the return, all the way to electricity production on an industrial
scale.
Designs to Produce Piezoelectricity:
With this technology, now, engineers are poised to harvest some of the spare
kinetic energy of the world’s moving vehicles with various designs being put
forward. Mainly there are two designs of producing piezoelectricity:
First Design: It consists of a thin box around the piezoelectric material, which
is then placed underneath a layer of asphalt. As trucks pass over plates
embedded in the asphalt they compress a tank of hydraulic fluid under the road,
which in turn creates a series of pumping actions that turns a generator to
produce electricity. When a car drives over the box, it takes the vertical force
and compresses the piezoelectric material, thereby generating electricity. The
energy-80 kilowatt-hours per kilometer of road for car traffic can be stored in
a nearby battery or super capacitor, depending on the application, or sent
directly to streetlights and other roadside devices. The energy being converted
into electricity through piezoelectric effect is coming from motion of vehicle
which will otherwise be wasted by heat when the road deforms under the weight of
the car. The layer of piezoelectric material is stiffer than the road material
it replaces, so it even saves a tiny amount of energy.
Second design: It aims to capture energy when vehicles are slowing down in which
cars or trucks would drive over a mat that would be installed on top of the
road, on a highway off-ramp, or near a toll booth, saving wear and tear on the
car brakes and transforming some of the slowing vehicle’s motion into
electricity. The mat uses mechanical or hydraulic cells to generate electricity
and can be customized for cars or cargo truck traffic.
These latest refinements maximize the amount of electricity generated without
disrupting the driver or vehicle or robbing a vehicle of the energy it needs to
accelerate. This is because the system is designed to be installed in locations
where vehicles are required to reduce speed, such as toll plazas, rest areas and
drive-thrus, meaning the system only makes use of vehicle energy that would be
required to slow down.
A kilometer of “electric road” could generate enough power for 40 houses, and
progress in the technology could generate enough electricity to feed the
national power grid. Private companies were competing in this sector but
recently governments of developed countries are also taking notice to the
developments in turning traffic rush into electricity and are funding many
projects.
Advantages of the Invention:
Followings are the advantages of the present invention:
(1) It is capable of producing very large amounts of electricity without
increasing the consumption of any fuel.
(2) It is relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
(3) Piezoelectricity offers a clean and renewable base of some sort of power
potentially useful.
The other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently
known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein.
Conclusions:
The scientists claim that this can generate 2000 watts per hour in regular
traffic, which would translate into a huge amount of implemented on the nation’s
roads. O course, you would have to take into account the cost of introducing the
technology but even if it only powered street lighting and traffic signals it
would be a huge saving.
The above disclosure is not intended as limiting. Those skilled in the art will
readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be
made while retaining the teachings of the invention. In particular, although the
method has been described as utilizing a roadway, any location that is subject
to traffic, e.g. a parking lot, would be a suitable location for an installation
of the device.
Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the
restrictions of the appended claims.
Future plans include placing the crystal generators in railways. Trains are
advantageous in that they are guaranteed to apply pressure in the same place
over and over again and the technology is also applicable to airport runways and
rail systems.