What If The Road Could Harvest Energy Every Time You Used Your Brakes?

[Judi Lynn]

What If The Road Could Harvest Energy Every Time You Used Your Brakes?
This nondescript mat could power toll plazas and parking garages with energy from vehicles braking on top of them.

The environment around us contains all sorts of untapped energy. From heat that escapes buildings to the kinetic energy of people's movements, there's lot of potential to generate new (and clean) sources of power.

The company Energy Intelligence is focused on one area: kinetic energy from braking vehicles. The Massachusetts startup is developing a mat that would sit in front of toll plaza and parking garages and provide power to nearby systems.

"It's a flat mat that sits on top of the road to generate electricity from the motion of vehicles," says CEO Daniel Shani. "When you slow down to approach a parking garage or truck weigh station, you're dissipating lots of energy we aim to make better use of."

The mat contains a pressurized fluid and a series of mechanical levers. As you slow down, the liquid shifts and drives the levers, generating power which goes out through an inverter that conditions the electricity for general use.

More:
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3038543/what-if-the-road-could-harvest-energy-every-time-you-used-your-brakes

[postulater]

1. My Priuses already do that. Don't reduce my car's efficiency by increasing the drag.

The energy has to go somewhere, I'd rather have it go back into my car than into the grid.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Exactly. I saw this idea suggested decades ago, and it never went anywhere.

I guess someone figured it was good for raising investment money anyway.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. UPS nd Coca Cola have been

testing this technology in the Twin Cities for about four or five years. Had the chance to drive a Freightliner Coke Route Truck with this energy recover system during the Minnesota State Fair. Talk about a different drive,just the buzz of the motor and normal body noise of a truck. Way cool,just like a Prius. Nice to have a rellie working the display that evening.