Alternative Energy

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Dixon on October 6, 2009 at 7:53am

Here is a great idea

Passing cars produce power in pilot test of breakthrough concept
October 06, 2009

Drivers passing through the Hefer intersection along the old coastal road of Route 4 yesterday morning generated electricity without even realizing it.

They did so by driving over a ten-meter strip of asphalt, underneath which lie generators capable of producing some 2,000 watt-hours (Wh). The power is then relayed to batteries situated beside the road. This is the first practical test of the innovative technology developed by Innowattech and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. The pilot is being conducted in cooperation with the Israel National Roads Company.

"The technology is based on piezoelectric materials that enable the conversion of mechanical energy exerted by the weight of passing vehicles into electrical energy. As far as the drivers are concerned, the road is the same," she says.

Edery-Azulay added that expanding the project to a length of one kilometer along a single lane would produce 200 KWh, while a four-lane highway could produce about a MWh - sufficient electricity to provide for the average consumption in 2,500 households.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1119139.html

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Permalink Reply by neil cox on October 6, 2009 at 9:39am

Hi Thomas: If the piezoelectric units are available cheap, they could supplement the suspension system in vehicles helping charge the vehicle battery at each bump in the road. Computer controlled they might even make the bumps less noticeable to the passengers.
From the ten meter strip, my guess is 2000 watt-hours per day (worth at least 20 cents) as it seems unlikely that 2000 watt-hours per hour can be extracted from average traffic by this method. My guess is the vehicles are slowed minutely passing over the strip = good if slowing is desired, but otherwise gasoline is burned to recover the speed. Where else could the energy come from? Magic, perhaps? Neil

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Dixon on October 6, 2009 at 11:18am

Neil Cox
Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression that the energy gained came from the weight of the car as it passed over. And it did not get this energy from electromagnetic resistance which would put a resistance drag on the car’s motion. But that is just me, I am no engineer. If it is as you say robbing Peter to pay Paul then these folks in Israel are wasting a lot of money and energy getting back zero in return.

Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics, including bone) to generate an electric field or electric potential in response to applied mechanical stress.

Thomas

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Permalink Reply by neil cox on October 6, 2009 at 12:27pm

Hi Thomas: As your animation shows the piezo gets shorter when the electricity is produced. This happens because the asphalt falls pehaps 1/16 of an inch. At the end of the ten meters the car has to climb out of this unnoticeable hole. Yes the vehicle weight moving though a vertical distance produces the electricity, which is free, if you wanted the car to go slower at that moment, plus the brakes don't work as hard. It might be great just before a stop sign. Also small amounts of electricity are useful along the road to light signs and provide street lights, Even provide a quick partial charge for electric and hybrid vehicles. So the Israeli system will sometimes be a less costly than installing a power line. Neil

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Dixon on October 6, 2009 at 1:33pm

Neil,

Thank you for your reply. At approaching lanes to an intersection where the vehicle must stop creating a device that will slow the vehicle down reduces the wear and tear on the brakes while generating an electric charge in return. If anything else it could power the street signal lights as you have suggested. But my guess is the maintenance costs to keep this device working would more than likely cost more than the electric power it produces. But that is a guess. Anyway someone is trying to apply this device in a real world application. I hope they are successful and really get something out of it.

I am really intrigued by all the new devices people are coming up with to help make our planet more green friendly. My bet is when the fossil fuel era really starts to come to an end these innovative electric devices will become mainstream and not just a dream on a dreamers sketch pad.

Thomas

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Dixon on October 6, 2009 at 2:02pm

Neil said “If the piezoelectric units are available cheap, they could supplement the suspension system in vehicles helping charge the vehicle battery at each bump in the road.”

That is one really great idea Neil. I hope the car industry considers this.

Thomas

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Permalink Reply by Brian Moore on October 8, 2009 at 10:31am

Hi Cliff. I just started in the discussions here in Pickens Plan and am finding that there are alot of people who feel the same as we do. The thing is, is to get all of them together and put forth all of the alternative energy solutions into the pot at once which will make it very hard for Big Business to quash. People like Neil Young and Arnold Schwartzenegger are ones who are feeling this way as well and will probably be able to have a bit of pull in getting things started. Getting things started is the trick. We need all the people with water motors, compressed air motors and electric motors, which have been created, to join together and create the perfect zero polution vehicle. It can be done as whatever 'man' has thought of or had dreamed of has been done by 'man'. We just have to persist. Thanks. Brian.

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Permalink Reply by Alicia Prince on October 29, 2009 at 10:28am

Hey Cliff,

I totally agree. Like Brian says, I think we all feel like it's a little out of our hands...I definitely felt that way for a while. I just saw this documentary though and it's really really inspiring - totally talks about how real alternative energy is. If you're interested, here's the trailer:


Definitely worth a good look. If enough people make and see things like this, it will be SO much easier for people to be passionate about ending our oil addiction.

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Permalink Reply by CLIFF JAGGER on October 29, 2009 at 12:24pm

I like the trailer! Amazing from Ford on our Presidents have just talked from the sides of their mouths. Obiviously, they are going to do nothing about it, so, its up to us. The question is, besides the Picken's Plan how do we pool the people?

cliff

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Permalink Reply by neil cox on October 29, 2009 at 3:13pm

I'm sure T. Boone Pickens is thinking hard about how to pool the people. CNG can be safely compressed to almost as high pressure as air for the air car. So the high pressure of the CNG can partially power the car while the natural gas is powering an internal combustion motor. The pizzio electric suspension system can give a smoother and safer ride and keep the accessories battery charged. This looks attractive, if the high voltage E Store capacitors make it to market as the pizzio electric units produce several thousand volts peak. The main problems with three new systems is inital cost, more things to go wrong and difficulty getting repairs. Four if you count the need to develop vehicle accessories that can operate on a thousand volts dc. Neil

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Permalink Reply by CLIFF JAGGER on October 29, 2009 at 3:24pm

wouldn't you think the most effective vehicle is an electric car that plugs into our house and using solar to charge it. I think we are only a few years or optimistically only one before solar is cost/efficient effective. The batteries are here to charge up and go 300 + miles on one charge. With this method you are not relying on anyone who can rip you off.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Dixon on October 30, 2009 at 9:13am

I like this idea. You can have two battery packs. You have one in your car and the other at home that is being charged during the day. Every few days you just unplug one battery pack and plug in the charged one. All powered by solar panels.

Thomas

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