Print the Cars that are standing in the famous traffic jams on the roads of California, you don’t just use energy, they can produce it.
the California Energy Commission (California Energy Commission) is investing $ 2 million to study whether the piezoelectric crystals utilized for the production of electricity through the mechanical energy created by cars going on the road.
the Commission is in the process of selecting a company or University that will conduct small-scale field tests.
During testing will be explored, as small crystals that generate energy when compressed, can produce electricity for the network if they are installed under the asphalt surface.
Scientists know that this technology works, but you need to find out if she could bring high profits at low cost. Similar projects in other countries were canceled.
“driving a car now is not just the energy consumption. Perhaps this is also part of a process to generate energy,” says Paul Bungee, scientist and former Director of the Center for solutions to the problems of climate change (Center for Climate Change Solutions at the University of California in Los Angeles.
Researchers expect that the use of “green” energy produced on the roads will help the state achieve its goal of generating 50% of electricity in California from renewable sources by 2030.
More short-term goal of the state is to reach 25% by year-end, according to the state Commission.
But there are doubts about technology, particularly regarding the ability of technology to withstand the wear and tear of the road, said Joe Mahoney, Professor of civil and environmental construction at the University of Washington in Seattle.
“you Must calculate that will wear out faster: the road surface or device,” he said, adding that it will be necessary to re-do the road surface every 10 to 30 years.
it is unclear whether this technology is sufficiently competitive compared with other renewable sources to merit a full-scale investment.
the Decision of California to Fund this technology was made after a series of similar projects in Tokyo, Italy and Israel, which have either failed, or was canceled.
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So, an Israeli company, pilot testing which has attracted the world’s attention in 2009, is currently in the process of liquidation, and the project was deemed unsuccessful according to the Israeli authorities.
the Israeli company Innowattech has also planned to install the device under the part of the road in Italy, but never completed the project according to the Italian construction companies Salini Impregilo, which was also involved in the project.
background
the Israeli company Innowattech planned to extract energy from generators located under the busy highways and railway lines.
the company Generators contain a material that can produce electrical energy by mechanical pressure.
the Process, known under the name “piezoelectricity”, for several years was used on a smaller scale.
the Most known application is the use of stomping feet of the visitors of night club in Holland. The resulting energy is used for lighting the house.
As noted, the system has limitations and can only work in heavy traffic.
However, the head of the company noted that the peak traffic on the roads coincides with the peak of electricity consumption in morning and evening hours.
it was Planned that the generators will be laid at a depth of 3 cm from the road surface during the production of planned maintenance, and the piezoelectric material will be retained for 30 years.
However, the project company was never realized.
It is the Israeli project was inspired by California lawyer Mike Gatto to refer to the energy Commission for funding pilot projects in California.
Gatto asked for financing in 2011 and praised the Israeli project. In an interview with the Associated Press, he said that he did not know that the project failed in the end.
“I never heard of it, and it is certainly not happy,” said Gatto. – I don’t want the project to be tainted by a small experiment conducted by one company in another country.”
Gatto said that, in his opinion, the technology is still viable.
“it is likely, in Israel arose the costs without which you can do here,” he said.
the Data Innowattech was also present in the economic assessment of the feasibility of the project, which was conducted by the Commission and published by the energy consulting company in 2014.
the study collected and compared data on projects that used similar technology at the time.
However, the head of the research division at the California Energy Commission Mike Gravely stated that the conclusions were based on a number of sources, and in the end the Committee came to the conclusion that the results are quite reliable.
he added that He spoke with a few Industrialists in the USA who are willing to develop this technology.
And the Floor Bungee notes that often the first developers of the technology fail.
“Innovation is risky, he believes. – There is a General rule that no one knows what will work.”
He adds that regardless of the risks, it’s worth it to try new things.
California will receive $ 2 million for testing new technologies. The money will be allocated from investment Fund for renewable energy, which was created by the Commission on the public service of the state of California.
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