The United States highway system is the largest construction
project ever created, spanning nearly 48,000 miles of interstate highways. The
number of paved roads and parking lots is also substantial,
covering approximately 61,000 square miles in the U.S. alone. These remarkable
achievements
underscore the importance of transportation engineering in driving
human innovation. In a substantially hotter world, not only do the vehicles we
use need to produce lower emissions, but the large, intricate roadways they use
also need to change.
Kinetic roads are a new development currently being explored
that could potentially harness an abundance of energy from cars using them. Kinetic
roads possess a name that performs exactly as it sounds; they harness kinetic
energy from vehicles passing over them to generate electricity that can be transferred
to a power grid to supply surrounding infrastructure with electricity.
Although there are various ways these kinetic roads can be
implemented, the key to this technology lies in the phenomenon of piezoelectricity.
Piezoelectricity is present in certain solid materials that can produce an electrical
charge from mechanical stress. In short, these materials can generate energy
from the pressure applied to them.
One way this technology can be implemented is by placing
speed bumps along a roadway. The vehicle pushes this speed bump down when
it travels across it, which turns gears that spin a flywheel. A flywheel is a
device used to store rotational energy. The flywheel then turns a generator,
which can be stored in a battery or connected to various power supplies. Another
popular approach being explored is the use of tiles laid along the road that
utilize piezoelectric crystals to harness the pressure of vehicles traveling
along the road.
Like any new advancement, the construction of kinetic roads
is significantly more expensive than traditional ones, and a new energy storage
system will likely need to be developed to harness this energy.
The potential benefits of kinetic roads are large.
Although they are expensive, they are low-cost to maintain. Constructing
these roads does not involve any intricate process either. They are precast
with kinetic technology and can be formed by interlocking pieces of the roadway,
which also reduces the time required to repair the roads when needed. The energy
can also be harvested throughout the year; if vehicles are driving on it, it can
capture and store the kinetic energy produced. Harnessing solar energy through
pavement has also gained increased interest among transportation engineers, and
these technologies can be implemented simultaneously, which is another reason
kinetic roads are gaining interest.
It is alway interesting to hear about a new type of somewhat green energy. I also think we should invest in more public transport instead of trying to make non public transport more viable. I think it isn't a bad idea to harvest the energy from cars though.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! The nice part about kinetic roads is that they can also harvest energy from public transportation, such as buses.
DeleteThis is a unique and interesting idea to create electricity! We have a ton of roads, like you said, and if we could get some good benefits from all the driving people do that would be fascinating.
ReplyDeleteKinetic roads sounds like an exciting step toward cleaner infrastructure. Turning every day traffic into usable energy is such a smart concept!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this concept before this post, and from the sound of it, would be a real promising way of generating clean(er) electricity! I do wonder about how well such technologies would handle harsh winters, hot summers, or potential flood/drought risk, and what the repair and maintenance would look like on such roads. Still something I'd be willing to give a try though!
ReplyDeletejust saying "kinetic roads" just sounds very interesting, why question is how come we haven't done this before, this blew my mind
ReplyDeleteKinetic Roads sounds really intresting, I have never heard of that before. I think that would be really cool to use the car to create power when using the roads.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm confused because I don't see a downside to these roads so why have they not been used? does the government not like this idea?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, yes. The concept of nationwide acceptance poses a significant challenge for many of these innovations, as there are no companies willing to fund their manufacturing and design.
DeleteThis is such an awesome concept and I love the diagrams! How difficult would implementation be? Is it as simple as tearing up a couple sections of roads or is this solution only viable for newer construction? Additionally, what scale does this have to be implemented on, I know you introduced the expansiveness of our highway system but could this be introduced on a small scale for powering homes or neighborhoods?
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fascinating concept! It is amazing to see the new and innovative ways energy is being harnessed. With the number of cars on the road daily, kinetic roads could have the potential to be a large power source in the future
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, if these roads were implemented, do you think the energy generated would off-set the carbon released from drivers using the roads in the first place?
ReplyDeleteThat is a great question! I think that would be the goal and would definitely be possible, especially with the influx of electric vehicles being driven already. From the research I looked at, the idea was when electric vehicles are driven on kinetic roads, the energy stored from the roads would be used for charging stations, so no additional electricity sources would be needed.
DeleteKinetic roads, leveraging piezoelectric technology, offer a promising solution for sustainable energy generation by harnessing vehicle movement, though their high initial cost presents a significant challenge to widespread implementation.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fascinating look of the possibilities of kinetic roadways and the ways in which transportation engineering may adapt to the demands of a changing climate. Combining solar energy and piezoelectricity results in a powerful solution, and the concept of using energy from regular vehicle movement is creative. The long-term advantages of less maintenance and continuous energy generation could make this a game-changer for sustainable infrastructure, despite early cost and energy storage issues.
ReplyDeleteKinetic roads sound like a fascinating step forward in sustainable engineering. It’s exciting to think that our everyday driving could help generate clean energy. I appreciate how you explained the science in a clear way it really shows the potential this technology has for the future!
ReplyDeletePiezoelectricity - who knew? (Not me anyway.) Interesting. And there are many other ways to develop solar from roads and parking lots. All parking lots should have solar panels, for example. Did you know that part of the reason the US built the whole interstate highway system was to allow people in cities to escape from potential Russian nuclear bomb attacks? (That's how they thought in the Cold War.)
ReplyDeleteThis is super interesting and from the sound of it, it could be a great solution. You said that there would need to be a plant to store the energy, would that create CO2 as well? This sounds like a great idea, but I would hate to have to go anywhere when they begin to install them!
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know what piezoelectricity was until right now. Is there data on how much power is actually generated from these plates though? I wonder if the output of that energy would be worth the carbon cost that would go into manufacturing and maintaining these systems, especially in places where freezing weather commonly destroys roadways.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of many innovations involving alterations to vehicles and the transition to electric cars, but this is the first I've heard of technology that alters the roads. This is fascinating, and it sounds like something that could make great changes in minimizing carbon emissions in the transportation sector.
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ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting technological innovation! I wonder how much this could affect carbon emissions if it was able to be widely implemented on our roadways.
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