California is thinking of making green energy out of running cars on the highway. California Assemblyman Mike Gatto says that the vibration that is caused when cars roll down a street doesn’t grab the attention of people, but it could be put to good use.
A bill for a pilot program has been passed by 6-1 votes in favor in the California State Assembly's Natural Resources Committee yesterday. The bill was first introduced by Mike Gatto of Los Angeles in February this year.
The automotive traffic will generate road vibration that will be converted into energy using Piezoelectric generation. The vibrations of cars, trains and even people as they move across surfaces can be harnessed and converted into energy using piezoelectric materials under the surfaces.
The electricity thus generated can be stores in road side batteries and can be used to power traffic signs and signals. On a larger scale the energy can be fed into the power grid. A 6 mile stretch of roadway can generate 44 megawatts of electricity in a year. This is enough to power 30,800 homes.
It is not a new concept and other nations have already been using the system. Israel has already implemented the system and is using piezoelectric generation on its highways. Italy has plans to install the technology in a stretch of the Venice-to-Trieste Autostrada.