Mechanical systems for pavement energy harvesting: a state-of-the-art

ABSTRACT

Much research in the energy sector has been conducted over the last years, to develop clean and affordable sustainable sources, with the main goal of solving the problems associated with climate change. However, in most research projects, the main challenge is to integrate new technologies into real-world applications. Over the last decade, pavement energy harvesting has been studied to be used as a sustainable energy source. Harvesting the kinetic energy from vehicles and converting it into electric energy is a sustainable, clean, and potentially efficient way to produce energy. Also, pavement energy harvesting technologies show potential to reduce the speed of vehicles in critical places, such as crosswalks, contributing to the reduction of road accidents. This paper presents a review of mechanical systems that convert kinetic energy from vehicles into electricity, focusing on three main types of technologies: piezoelectric, pneumatic/hydraulic, and electromechanical. Pneumatic and hydraulic systems produce more energy, with an efficiency of 40% for higher readiness levels. Despite its energetic potential, the cost-effectiveness is not yet sufficient. Piezoelectric devices are the most studied, but these are not sufficiently profitable. Quantitatively, the corresponding efficiency remains unclear. Electromechanical systems are the most technologically advanced and efficient, presenting a maximum TRL (technological readiness level) of 7, and a maximum efficiency of 65%.

KEYWORDS:

• Energy conversion
• renewable energy
• energy harvesting
• road pavement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).