Going green is one of the newest – and most important - technological trends. Combine a sustainable drive with the integration of the Internet of Things into, well, everything, and some interesting potentials begin to arise.
Consider the energy crisis that so many countries are now facing. With wind, water, and alternative fuels already being considered as stand-ins for fossil fuels, what are other means through which these countries could gather energy for their cars, homes, and businesses to operate on?
Thus comes the smart road. Sustainable roadways make use of fascinating technology in order to turn the thundering of over 73 million cars into reusable energy. Through the power of the sun or piezoelectric energy, these roads present governing bodies with a unique opportunity and a creative way to lessen their reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels.
Solar roadways are already there
Solar power is, of course, one of the best known forms of alternative energy in use today. Thanks to a plethora of solar farms, the use of solar energy to power everything from individual tools to entire airports has become more common.
In the UK, solar farms have become increasingly popular due to the EU’s establishment of its renewable energy targets (though with the slow crawl of Brexit, the power of the EU’s influence remains to be seen). The way in which solar panels can interact with traditional roadways has only recently been explored, however.
At this point in time, solar roadways work when solar panels are integrated into existing roadways. The pavement collects sunlight, which the panels then transfer into energy to be stored in batteries.
In the United States, Scott and Julie Brushaw work through Solar Roadways in order to encourage states’ governments of the economic benefits of solar roadways. France, comparatively, has already integrated one of these roadways into its infrastructure. The one kilometre stretch of solar road near Normandy was established in 2016 and has seen its collected power diverted to a nearby town.
UV permeable materials may be the answer
For a variation on the solar road, some have been looking to solar panels that make use of UV permeable materials. UV light is not visible to the human eye because its energy wave is shorter than that which humans can actively see. These waves of light also produce more energy than their visible cousins. Because of this, solar roads that make use of UV permeable materials are likely to produce more energy than standard solar roads, allowing more bang for their installer’s buck.
Even so, roads that make use of solar panels with UV permeable materials have yet to be installed. France, however, looks to lead this charge courtesy of the company, Wattway. Wattway originally saw to the integration of the solar road near Normandy and is, at present, looking to expand its sustainable portfolio.
The Qilu Transportation Development group in China is thinking along the same lines. China has seen the installation of a similar solar road near the city of Jinan. The energy collected from this road powers 300 of the homes near to the interstate and serves as a workable example of the benefit of these roads’ further development.
Piezoelectric energy harvesting
There is a type of sustainable roadway that is less well known, though. Consider the influence of piezoelectric energy harvesting. This method of generating energy would rely on the bodies of the cars passing over the roadway itself. First, as a road is laid down, crystals are embedded into the asphalt. As cars pass over them, these crystals are deformed. That deformation, in turn, produces energy.
The process, known as “rumbling,” serves as the primary source of energy that a piezoelectric roadway can release. That energy is then stored in batteries to be redistributed. The overall process has earned piezoelectric energy harvesting a name that some drivers may be more familiar with: that of the “rumble road.”
Only one of these “rumble roads” has been integrated and discussed so far. This road was built in 2014 in California, USA. The energy gathered from the distortion of crystals in the road is currently used to power the roadway’s streetlights. The process’s success has, in turn, encouraged other institutions to further explore the uses of piezoelectric energy harvesting and the ways which it could modify the infrastructure of international roadways in the future.
Sustainable roadways for better future
There is, then, ample opportunity for roadways to become more sustainable. Driving itself is one way that the international community can phase out non-renewable resources, if, at this point, only on a small scale.
Solar panels, UV permeable materials, and piezoelectric energy harvesting are the first steps towards a more sustainable roadway, though, and it would be amiss to neglect the benefit they have served as individual countries and corporations alike continue to search for ways to make driving a more sustainable activity.