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The technology developed by Haifa-based Innowattech Ltd. was recently tested in a complete-system pilot project along a ten-meter stretch of Road 4 north of Hadera, Israel.
This is the first practical test of the innovative green energy technology developed by Innowattech, in association with Technion I.I.T (Israel Institute of Technology). The pilot is being conducted in cooperation with the Israel National Roads Company.
The technology is based on piezoelectric materials that enable the conversion of mechanical energy exerted by the weight of passing vehicles into electrical energy.
The first of its kind project demonstrated how Israeli technology can generate electricity from generators installed beneath a road's asphalt layer, presenting a pioneering invention for "parasitic energy harvesting." The technology does not increase the vehicles' fuel intake or affect the road infrastructure, harvesting the energy, which would have otherwise been wasted on road deformation, rendering this energy as "parasitic."
The system developed by Innowattech includes IPEGs™ (Innowattech Piezoelectric Generators), a harvesting module and a battery charging mechanism. During the pilot, the IPEGs™ were placed at a depth of five centimeters beneath the road's upper asphalt layer on a stretch of ten meters, capable of producing some 2,000 watt-hours (Wh) of power per hour on average on that stretch. The harvested power is relayed via a harvesting module to a battery charging mechanism beside the road.
Expanding the project to a length of one kilometer along a single lane would be capable of producing an average of 200 KWh per hour, sufficient electricity to provide for the average consumption in 200-300 households, provided approximately 600 heavy trucks or buses travel through the interval per hour on average.
The technology enables the supply of electricity to various road-side applications, such as traffic lights, billboards, police speed cameras, communication systems, road signs, etc., as well as transfer of the harvested electricity into the electric grid.
Weather conditions do not affect the electricity production of this technology, nor does it require special allocation of land. It can also be used for road data collection (Smart Road) and may provide electricity for areas remote from main electricity lines. In addition, the technology allows electricity to be harvested near the end consumer, rendering conduction infrastructure unnecessary.
Innowattech has also developed the technology for harvesting energy from movement of trains, airplanes and pedestrians, which are planned to be tested within months to come.
The team of scientists involved in the development of the IPEG™ system included the co-founders of Innowattech, Prof. Haim Abramovich, CEO and faculty member at the Technion I.I.T., Dr. Eugeny Harash, Chief Scientist and Prof. Charles Milgrom of the Hadassah University Hospital. The development team also includes Dr. Eugeny Tsikhotsky, Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Michael Gavshin, Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Lucy Edery-Azulay, Senior Technologist and Project Manager, and Sergey Yusimov, Senior Researcher and Production Controller.
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Innowattech has implemented several small projects on a highway, Road 40, near Ben Gurion International Airport. The projects have confirmed the results of the previous pilot projects conducted earlier at the Technion I.I.T.
Pilot Results, February 2009
On 08/02/2009, Innowattech has conducted a pilot project aimed at demonstration of electric energy harvesting from movement of vehicles on roads. The pilot took place at the Technion, I.I.T, Haifa, Israel. The pilot tested the technology, which converts the vehicular mechanical energy into electrical energy by having a vehicle travel on the road under which IPEG™ (Innowattech Piezoelectric Electric Generators) have been planted. The IPEGs are connected electrically to the unique storage system developed by Innowattech.
In the main pilot, the IPEG generators have been placed on the compressed layer of asphalt; 5.5 cm in height located 6 cm under the road level. (Generators were covered with 3.5 cm asphalt toping). The generators were placed every 30 cm and covered by a layer of compressed asphalt, so that the road returned to its original level.
The generators have been placed under the top layer of the asphalt along two parallel rows of 10 meter long.
All the generators were connected to the control center separately through a unique storage system, developed by Innowattech. The energy was stored in the electronic capacitors of the storage system.
The pilot used an electric lamp in order to receive indication of the amount of energy harvested by the system. The pilot used a truck with 4 axels, 12 wheels and weight of 17 tons.
The results of the energy harvesting from the pilot were as follows:
1 kWh was produced from the two parallel ten-meter columns of generators (one per wheel). The calculation was based on dynamic modules, which take in consideration frequency, truck speed (1000 trucks per hour with average speed of 72 km per hour) and road physical conditions.
The following photos represent the pilot stages:
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