14 DAY TRIAL // What if we could obtain electricity by simply putting the weight of cars and pedestrians to good use? This is the question posed recently by a group of entrepreneurs and innovators in Mexico, led by researchers Héctor Ricardo Macías Hernández.
The expert developed a new system of harnessing electricity that could prove very efficient. He and his team propose that highways and roads be outfitted with a series of devices that would turn the weight of passing energy into electrical current. The team believes that this process could generate enough current to make the initial investment worthwhile.
A single energy-harnessing device of the type the Mexican group proposes could theoretically produce enough electricity to power up an entire household for a day, Science Daily reports. These tools work based on the standard laws of gravitational energy.
Polymeric materials similar to the ones used in tires are the key to this system. They are used to create so-called ramp-steps, small elevations (5 centimeters or 1.96 inches) that get pressed when something heavy rolls over them. A number of bellows would then be inserted below the ramp-steps, experts say.
As a car would drive over the ramp-step, the device would be depressed, and the air inside the bellows would be pumped through a series of hoses into tank where it would get compressed. The compressed air obtained in this manner would then be fed into an electrical turbine.
In essence, the flow of cars would dictate just how much energy is produced. If the system is installed on a busy highway, then the ramp-step devices could have a consistent output, high enough to be used for practical applications.
Interestingly, Macías Hernández says, this new technology could potentially be implemented in areas with high pedestrian traffic as well. Each step would contribute to producing a little compressed air and, by extension, a little bit of electricity. The pedestrians would not necessarily feel different when walking.
“This is a technology that provides sustainable energy and could be implemented at low prices, since it's a complement of already existing infrastructure: the concrete of streets and avenues,” the team leader adds.
Previously, power-generating system that attempted to derive electricity from steps or car traffic used piezoelectric devices. These are crystals or ceramics that produce a small electrical charge when their mechanical structure is deformed. However, these materials are too expensive for widespread use, Macías Hernández explains.