Development of a self-contained roadway powerharvesting system for energy recovery

Kinetic energy harvesting has become of a growing interest in recent years. Kinetic energy is
typically present in the form of vibrations that can be found in numerous environments
ranging from common household goods, industrial plant equipment, to various moving
st ructures. Kinetic energy harvesting is to capture minuscule quantities of kinetic energy in
these environments that would otherwise be dissipated. It is well known that vehicles of all
types travel daily along roads and highways throughout the world, and much kinetic energy
has been wasted as the vehicles have to slow down or stop when approaching toll booths,
t ruck inspection stations, or speed bumps. As a result, the Ottawa-based company, the BW
Services (BWS) Inc, initiated recently an ambitious plan for the development of a selfcontained
roadway power harvesting system (SRPHS) for scavenging the kinetic energy
dissipated from the vehicles. The generated electrical energy can be used to power the lights
and the equipment at the installation station….TOBECONT’D…

Faculty Supervisor:

Jie Liu

Student:

Partner:

BW Services

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Carleton University

Program: