How to produce electricity from Railway Track?

Replies

• 

  lal

  Why not use Piezo....
• 

  Bull

  Hi!
  How to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy??
• 

  bhushanb

  it can be generated by using simple dynamo & a generator with rechargeble battery
  connected with the railway track & to generat electricity
  perhaps i'll work on this project & let you know wht the actual implementation of it ............
• 

  Roddick

  The idea is to use some kind of shock and energy absorbent fluid (possibly at the time of laying the road / rail blocks) which can conduct , store and generate electricity (when subjected to mechanical loads) like a piezoelectric transducer. The law of conservation of energy would still not be violated (the law of conservation of momentum still stands -> Newton's third law etc) if the free energy of the system stays the same or is reduced by increasing the entropy of the absorbent fluid (which accounts for its energy storage capability).
• 

  bhushanb

  no dude the peozoelectric crystal theory is very different
  do you know about the generation of electricity in the generator?
  such like this the concept of generator is same as dynamo so you r on the right track with the misunderstanding, if u want to know it more then msg me .....
• 

  kashish0711

  well the new electric locomotives use the rail tracks as the returning path for the current, so when a train is passing by, you can surely get electric power if you attach a wire to them and the other end to a very good earthing even better than the railway tracks but it will only be available till the time the train is passing by.
  
  Otherwise you can use piezo-electric crystals to produce small amount of power but again that will only be produced when the train is passing by.
  
  Or Ok, an illegal method, just take a very thick copper wire with a very good insulation for safety and then somehow tap the wire to overhead system from where the trains take the electric supply. Then design a step-down transformer to get the desired voltage, make sure you maske the transformer such that it is capable of limiting the current.
  
  well can't think of any other currently, will let you know if anything elese comes in my mind. 😀
• 

  gohm

  Is this for a subway or rail system? frequency of travel will play a key role.
• 

  greguru

  The earthing of the railway tracks is generally very good. You might be able to get some potential difference is you dig a deep enough hole, use some good conducting material (on powder form), and put copper wire in. No guarantees on how much electricity you can get.
  
  If you directly tap it from the overhead wires, it is neither safe nor legal. Get life insurance before you try it 😀
  
  Now what I am wondering is, are you looking for a static method or dynamic. Railway cars already have a battery and dynamo system to generate the electricity as the train moves. If you live near a railway track and you are interested in generating electricity from the passage of a train, I would recommend installing a short enough windmill which can be turned due to the motion of the train. You will require the trains to pass very frequently though.
  
  Piezo is another option but it would fire everytime the train wheels move over it and will give you spikes.
  
  Can you elaborate on the purpose?
• 

  sam76

  can we generate electricity using railway tracks ? If so, then how can we make it ?
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  sam76

  can we generate electricity using railway tracks ? If so, then how can we make it ?

  Check above discussion. I've merged both the threads to have just one thread that answers all the question. I'm sure you will get the answer you are looking for, else feel free to ask it in the comments below.
• 

  mallumatmari

  Ya we can use piezo crystal, in japan they are using piezo in railway station, so when people walk on them it converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
  Check Piezoelectricity Generation X! - Yanko Design
• 

  sam76

  I was intrested to generate electricity during the passage of train on tracks
  
  

  greguru

  The earthing of the railway tracks is generally very good. You might be able to get some potential difference is you dig a deep enough hole, use some good conducting material (on powder form), and put copper wire in. No guarantees on how much electricity you can get.
  
  If you directly tap it from the overhead wires, it is neither safe nor legal. Get life insurance before you try it 😀
  
  Now what I am wondering is, are you looking for a static method or dynamic. Railway cars already have a battery and dynamo system to generate the electricity as the train moves. If you live near a railway track and you are interested in generating electricity from the passage of a train, I would recommend installing a short enough windmill which can be turned due to the motion of the train. You will require the trains to pass very frequently though.
  
  Piezo is another option but it would fire everytime the train wheels move over it and will give you spikes.
  
  Can you elaborate on the purpose?