Six ways to get energy from roads – New Technology

     In VTI’s report shows how it might look with solar roadways, built-in solar cells, in the way. Photo: From the report “Energy recovery from roads and road environments – a systematic review”
     

Photovoltaics in the noise barriers or minimal wind turbines along the roadside? VTI pointing out techniques that can extract energy in the road environment.

VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute , has identified various ways to produce energy out and along our roads. The researchers note that the road environment takes up large areas that are already overexploited. If you want to increase the production of renewable energy, it might be smart to take advantage of these surfaces instead of encroaching on natural areas or other interests. While it may be a way to reduce traffic on the climate.

researchers go through a variety of possible technologies in the report.

Here are six ways that they deem can be relevant to today’s conditions:

• Photovoltaics, for example, noise is tested and available in use in Europe and Australia. A plus is that the cost of solar cells decreases.

• Photovoltaics in the road surface has been tested in pilot projects. It could also work in Sweden, under certain conditions. For example, the secondary areas with little wear.

• Geothermal Energy can be used in particular to combat slipping on steep slopes and to warm up the walkways. It is also possible to use the energy from the buildings nearby.

• Piezoelectric generators built into the asphalt converts the weight of the front rolling cars to electricity. Tests have been done in Israel, but in Sweden would frost could cause problems. The technology is complex, and requires more research and practical experiments, the researchers believe.

• Small wind turbines along the roads can become a reality if the technology is safe enough. There must be no risk of ice throw, pieces of ice detached from the rotor and thrown out.

• Bioenergy can be extracted from it growing along the way. Man beats anyway roadside to improve visibility. It hit conditioned hay or underbrush can become thermal energy through combustion or biogas through anaerobic digestion.

How big are the road surfaces then? Sweden’s state roads is 98000 km and municipal roads and streets is 41 600 kilometers, according to the report. Moreover, there are many kilometers of private roads.