Innowattech | Harvesting mechanical energy from roadways to produce electricity

October 25, 2011

Innowattech Ltd. | Innowattech Ltd. has developed a new alternative energy system that harvests mechanical energy imparted to roadways, railways and runways from passing vehicles, trains and pedestrian traffic and converts it into green electricity.

The system, based on a new breed of piezoelectric generators, harvests energy that ordinarily goes to waste and can be installed without changing the habitat. Innowattech innovation provides environmental benefits where parasitic mechanical energy on roads, highways, railways and airport runaways can be harvested and transferred back — in a process where the energy is captured, stored and reused.

The piezoelectric phenomenon was first described by the Curie brothers. They observed that certain materials generate electric current when they are deformed. Today, piezoelectric materials have multiple uses in industry, but most work efficiently only at high frequencies.

Innowattech has developed a new breed of piezoelectric generators with a mechanical-electrical association that is ideally suited to harvest the mechanical energy from roadways, railways, runways and pedestrians. In addition, the group has developed an efficient storage system to collect and store the electricity produced by these generators.

The accumulated energy can be used for local power needs or routed into the grid. The Innowattech system is applicable to asphalt, concrete or composite concrete and asphalt roads. It may be installed in new roadways or while resurfacing existing roadways. The busier the roadway the more energy is produced; heavier vehicles produce more energy.

For more information, please see Technical Information: “IPEG’s™ harvest energy ordinarily wasted by vehicles.

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Source: Innowattech Ltd.