Kinetic Road
An Italian startup Underground Power company, has developed a technology called Lybra where this technology is able to convert kinetic energy produced by moving vehicles into electrical energy using a tire–like rubber paving.
Lybra would be installed in areas where vehicles are expected to reduce their speed for road safety reasons. The way Lybra operates is that when it slows down a car or when a car brakes, the car will dissipate kinetic energy that would be collected and converted into electricity. The electricity produced would then be transferred to a nearby grid.
According to LYBRA’s creators, one bump located in a zone with heavy traffic is able to produce about 100,000 kWh per year. This is equivalent to the energy produced by 19 tonnes of oil. Compared to an average family, where each average family would consume approximately 2,700 kWh. With this technology, we are able to retrieve the kinetic energy wasted every day from cars when braking. Energy is collected from this surface and transferred to generators, which are set in motion and turn kinetic and mechanical energy into electric energy.
Written by Malvin Benet & Jovan Lestari
Source: https://civiconcepts.com/blog/innovation-in-civil-engineering