Speed bumps that generate energy

How many times have we not railed against the size or disproportion of a speed bump? These bumps are used in certain areas to reduce traffic speed, although they are sometimes placed where they are not needed and where, rather than helping traffic, they get in its way. However, Underground Power Srl, an Italian company, has found another use for these true suspension punishers: generating energy.

The idea is to harness the impact of the tyres and the suspension against the speed bump to generate energy. The reducer, called Lybra, converts kinetic energy into electrical energy. If it is placed on a motorway, for example at the entrance to a toll booth, it could generate 400 MWh per year, which could be used by the motorway operator for lighting or to power the toll booths.

A prototype is currently operating at a shopping centre in Milan. Around 8,500 vehicles pass over this reducer each day, a figure that has allowed an energy generation estimate of 100,000 kWh per year. The reducer in question costs around 100,000 euros per unit and, although much of its mechanism lies beneath the speed bump itself, Underground Power says its maintenance is easier than it seems and that its operating cost is quite low.

We cannot prevent these speed bumps or reducers from continuing to be placed in the wrong locations, but at least we can generate some energy at almost no cost. And since motorway operators and municipalities complain that they are losing money, at least they will be able to generate some energy thanks to our vehicles.

Source | Tecno Carreteras