Crystals turn roads into power stations

Engineers in Israel are hoping to develop roads into power stations, by using crystals to harvest energy from passing vehicles.

According to a report in New Scientist, the crystals have been developed by Haim Abramovich at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa in Israel.

He recommends placing piezoelectric crystals under the asphalt that convert vibration into electricity, which would help to harvest energy from passing vehicles.

Abramovich said that the crystals can produce up to 400 kilowatts from a 1-kilometre stretch of four-lane highway.

His spin-out company, Innowattech, also based in Haifa, will begin testing the system on a 100-metre stretch of road in northern Israel in January next year.

Installing the technology need not produce unnecessary greenhouse gases, according to Abramovich.

“We’re advocating that the system be fitted to roads only during routine maintenance, so there’s no extra digging,” he added. (ANI)

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