Energy harvesting from asphalt pavement using thermoelectric technology

Abstract

Nowadays, energy harvesting from road has become a research hotspot. The power generation system within asphalt pavement based on thermoelectric technology was studied in this paper. The characteristics of temperature difference between the pavement and ambient air, as well as the temperature gradient within road surface were investigated by collecting data on-site in different seasons. Based on this, a novel set of road thermoelectric generator system (RTEGS) was developed, which can generate electricity when there is a temperature difference between road surface and ambient air. In addition, a RTEGS prototype was fabricated to verify the energy generation capacity based on indoor and outdoor tests. Results showed that the output voltage of RTEGS was about 0.4 V by asphalt mixture slab (300 mm × 300 mm by size), when the temperature difference between road surface and ambient air was 15 o C in winter. While in summer, the output voltage was about 0.6 V to 0.7 V, with a temperature difference of 25 o C to 30 o C. This means that some 160 kWh of energy can be obtained in 8 hours from a road of 1 km in length and 10 m in width. For asphalt pavement in tropical and subtropical regions, the large temperature difference would be more suitable for RTEGS. The findings and research experiments from this study will provide a good starting point and reference for the development and application of pavement thermoelectric technology.

Energy harvesting from pavements and roadways: A comprehensive review of technologies, materials, and challenges

“…The TEG prototype was capable of generating an average of 10 mW of electric power continuously over a period of 8 hours. Similar works on TEG systems for pavement energy harvesting were reported by Yu et al, 89 Kim et al, 90 Jiang et al, 91 and Lee et al 92 Ortega 93 performed FEM simulations to optimize the shape of TEG system on an asphalt pavement with the objective of maximizing the thermal gradient. Very recently, Jiang et al 94 developed an improved TEG system, which comprised modules of heat-conduction, thermoelectric-conversion, and cold-end cooling.…”

“…Kim et al, 90 Jiang et al 91 98 Energy harvesting system that could modulate solar radiation with a rotating cardboard to produce temperature variations on pyroelectric material.…”

Evaluation of Voltage Generation and Thermal Distribution from Road using Thermoelectric Technology

“…Lastly is by minimizing the impact of this system on asphalt pavement structure and material properties. For instance, a special designed water tank will help to enhance the output of electric energy [9]. Francisco Duarte et al in his research mentioned that the asphalt pavement surfaces are constantly exposed to solar and vehicle loads.…”

A review of eco-friendly functional road materials

“…The decreasing efficiency of solar panels after abrasion by vehicles and accumulation of dust should be addressed, along with riding comfort, skid resistance, and reparability [123]. Currently, the use of temperature gradient-based thermoelectric pavement technology is limited by its low power-generating efficiency [125,144,145].…”