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Free power courtesy of motorists

Cars are getting faster and the roads become more congested and dangerous every day. The task of making roads safer for pedestrians is a problem faced by many towns and cities around the world. Numerous traffic calming devices have been developed to reduce the speed of cars in areas of high population density. Probably the most ubiquitous of these is the dreaded speed-bump.

Well, the 21st Century version of the speed-bump is here. Designed to make use of the kinetic energy lost by the vehicle passing over it, these energy generating devices are essentially industrial-rated dynamos. They use the weight of the vehicle as a compressive force to generate power. This power can be used to power traffic lights and road signs or be pumped into the national grid.

Peter Hughes, the designer behind the idea, said: "They are speed bumps, but they are not like conventional speed bumps. They don't damage your car or waste petrol when you drive over them - and they have the added advantage that they produce energy free of charge." An engineer who formerly advised the United Nations on renewable energy sources, Hughes added: "If it [the energy] wasn't harnessed by the speed bumps, it would go to waste."

The ramps - which cost between £20,000 and £55,000, depending on size - consist of a series of panels set in a pad virtually flush to the road. As the traffic passes over it, the panels go up and down, setting a cog in motion under the road. This then turns a motor, which produces mechanical energy. A steady stream of traffic passing over the bump can generate 10-36kW of power. The bumps can each produce between £1 and £3.60 of energy an hour for up to 16 hours a day, or between £5,840 and £21,024 a year.

Hughes put the potential of these energy generating speed-bumps into perspective, "With a steady flow of traffic, four of the ramps used as speed bumps would be enough to power all the street lights, traffic lights and road signs for a mile-long stretch of street. The ramp is silent, comfortable and safe for vehicles. It is not only green energy; it is free energy, once you have paid for the capital cost of the equipment," said Hughes. "The full potential of this is absolutely enormous." Hughes claims that 10 ramps could generate the same power as one wind turbine.

Energy-generating speed-bumps are also being implemented in a number of drive-through eateries around the US. At approximately 8kph, one of these speed-bumps can generate about 2kW of power and can be used to power the actual drive-through booth.

Source: guardian.co.uk

 

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