RESEARCH SHOWS HEAVY ROAD TRAFFIC GENERATE ELECTRICITY ~ The Young Engineerzz

Cars on the road are known to be the worst enemy to “green” lovers. Emissions from combustion engines continue to increasingly contribute to atmospheric pollution, posing severe risks to human health, regardless of the numerous reports and warnings issued by environmentalists and governmental officials.

With the support of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), however, developer Hector Ricardo Macias, came up with a system, which makes use of the heavy traffic on the road to generate energy that can power up households.

The new technology is one of a kind. Others have patented similar concepts, however the complexity and pricing of the materials that they have used made them unsuitable for the settings in developing countries. The system developed by the Mexican team, however, is much cheaper and takes full advantage of the existing infrastructure, which unlike in Europe, does not require expensive piezoelectric floors.

Macias Hernandez offers a technology, which consists of a ramp-step, elaborated with polymeric material placed on top of the street pavement, creating an elevation of around five centimeters. As vehicles move on it, the ramp exerts pressure. This additional layer contains air, which travels under the pressure to a tank, where it is compressed and sent to a turbine, where it is converted into electricity.

The more vehicles are present on the road, the more electric energy is generated, meaning that such system will function best at traffic jam hotspots. The developer also suggests that the technology could work at locations where the traffic is not too heavy, but this means that a few ramp-steps would have to be fitted in order to increase the impact. In addition to this, the system could function just as well with pressure created by pedestrian walking. By installing it at underground stations, or busy crossings, people’s steps could also work as a mean to generate sustainable and cheap electricity.