FROM KINETICS TO ELECTRICS – When you brake, the vehicle loses speed and therefore its kinetic energy decreases, dissipated as heat by the brakes. If the vehicle is electrified, the kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy by the traction motor and transferred into a battery: what if this “collection” was carried out directly from the road? The idea may seem overly creative, but in reality it is so concrete that it can be embraced by Highways for Italy. His project Kinetic energy harvesting from vehicles” (BAD), which collects and converts the kinetic energy of vehiclesis in fact already being tested in the Arno Est service area on the A1 (in the pictures) and will extend to one lane of a toll booth. The tool chosen for this experimentation is called Lybrais proposed by the Umbrian startup 20energy and, despite its inconspicuous appearance, it is a very interesting system.
SLOW DOWN AND PRODUCE ENERGY – Lybra looks like flat panelsmeasuring 3 x 3.5 meters, covered with rubber and arranged flush with the road surface. It is possible to install several examples in series, spaced 15-20 meters apart, and it should be noted that the device slows down vehicles on its own but without the annoying sensation of a slow motion bump or rumble strips. This effect saves the brakes and increases road safety because it moderates the speed of vehicles before roundabouts, intersections with giving way and toll booths or motorway entrances. The platform of Lybra, covered with vulcanized rubber, it lowers by 2-3 cm to the passage of cars and heavy vehicles, and this mechanical movement is converted into electrical energy from a very compact generator and about which very little is known. Engineer Valerio Arienti, partner and technical director of 20energy, explains that the generator is similar to conventional ones such as the Wankel engine compared to the piston engine: “the principle that allows electricity to be generated does not change, but the conformation of the system significantly changes. Something completely new for a component that has remained the same for over a century”.
ENCOURAGING FIGURES – This energy is sent to an inverter, which feeds it into the electricity grid, and it is also possible to store it in a storage system. 20energy promises one maintenance very ordinary reduced – 4 hours per system once a year – and constant performance throughout the life of the device. With these experiments, Autostrade per l’Italia intends to create a platform, integrated with the main management and monitoring systems of the motorway infrastructure, which can complement traditional systems photovoltaics in the production of clean energy. It is estimated that thanks to the average daily passage of 9,000 vehicles a single module could produce 30 megawatt hours per year saving the emission of 11 tons of CO2. This energy corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 10 families and is even more interesting when compared to the consumption of the Florence West motorway barrier: its 60 MWh/year could be generated by just two plants Lybra. Other estimates developed by Movyon, Autostrade per l’Italia’s research and innovation centre, in barriers in Milan North and South Milan (daily traffic of approximately 8,000 heavy vehicles and 63,000 light vehicles) over 200 Mwh/year could be generated for each of the 2 toll stations.
2023-11-04 03:36:49
#Produce #energy #movement #cars
