Research and development of a new combination of piezo-thermoelectric energy harvester systems from roadways

Abstract

Due to the problems associated with fossil fuels, scientists and
governments are investigating alternative energy sources. In recent decades,
there has been an increase in interest in initiatives involving the collection of
clean, limitless energy. This paper focuses on two renewable energy harvesting
combination technologies: mechanical vibration utilizing piezoelectric technology
and thermal source utilizing thermoelectric technology. Existing scientific literature
proposes various techniques for producing and modelling each system individually.
This study proposes a novel thermo-piezoelectric pavement model with thermopiezoelectric
coupling. Due to no typical experimentation in the scientific literature,
a new laboratory experimental prototype proposes to reproduce artificially and
simultaneously heat harvesting on the artificial road surface and mechanical vibration
caused by passing vehicles. Testing the laboratory-developed prototype has determined
the efficacy of the thermo-piezoelectric coupling electronic model. This study
demonstrated that a hybrid thermo-piezoelectric system is more suitable for road
pavement applications than a thermo-piezoelectric coupling system. A hybrid
combination system can continue to produce energy even if one of the energy sources
is unavailable or malfunctioning, whereas a coupling combination system cannot.
In laboratory testing, the combined thermo-piezoelectrical harvester proposed could
generate up to 1.75 W without optimizing the materials and power generation.
This innovative study demonstrates the feasibility and applicability of combining
thermoelectric and piezoelectric technology to harvest energy from road surfaces.