"Piezoelectricity" as a Reenewable and Sustainable Energy Resource

Project Abstract / Summary : Introduction


Piezoelectric materials were first discovered by Jacques and pierrecurie in the 19thcentury.The literal meaning of piezoelectric is “pressure electricity”,and this meaning aptly describes these materials as a deformation caused by pressure on the substance will create an electrical current in material.the mechanical pressure is therefore converted to voltage.Natural piezoelectric materials are crystallined materials that exhibit the piezoelectric effect.



Capacity

The generating capacity of piezoelectric devices can overapproximatedby assuming that the vibrations in the road are caused by traffic alone, and that each "vibration event" from one vehicle is independent of another.Under these assumptions, the total energy harvested by piezoelectric devices along a onekilometer stretch is at most the number of cars that pass multiplied by the vibrational energy that one car transfersto the road. This vibrational energy can be overapproximatedby the energy that each car consumes and puts to mechanical work across this stretch. In other words, the energy a car loses to vibrations in asphalt must be less than the energy a car puts to mechanical work over the onekilometer stretch. This value canbe computed by multiplying the energy consumed from gasoline by thermal efficiency.


Energy consumed

= gasoline used × Energy density of gasoline × Thermal Efficiency





=(1 km × 4.43 ×107 J/kg × 0.739kg/litre × 0.4) / 8.5 km/litre


= 427.78 Wh




This overestimation provides an appropriate upper bound to the amount of energy absorbed by piezoelectric devices from one car moving across a one kilometer strip (i.e. no more than 427.78Wh). Of course, some of this "mechanical" (i.e. nonthermal)energy is lost as various forms of friction and used for other processes inside the vehicle (such as air conditioning), and not nearly all of the vibrational energy will be absorbed by the devices in the road. If the devices are embedded on a busy street, then such a street will generate at most this amount of energy multiplied by the number of cars moving across the street. If such a street or highway sees an average of 600 vehicles per hour, then the energy provided by these devices on aonekilometer stretch could produce power of 257 kW. If the calculation were repeated for only 18wheelers the maximum amount of homes aonekilometer strip could power would increase to 1 MW.


The Future of Piezoelectric Generation


Recently, energy harvesting using piezoelectric energy generation has become the focus of much research.On the other hand, use of multilayer piezo generators in smaller electronic devices with low powerrequirements offers a real opportunity for exploration.Apart from tiles, roads, dance floors, attempts are made toharvest energy from our daily movements by installing. piezoelectric crystals in the shoes also.Iftheseshoes undergo through movements daily then thesewill be able to generate electricity enough to charge up thesmall electronic devices or gadgets




CONCLUSION


This statement of Albert Einstein is true “Energy canneither be created nor be destroyed itcan be transferredfrom one form to another.” This method of generatingelectricity by the use of piezoelectric material has already being started in many countries viz Japan, Israel,Netherlands. Use of piezo-electric material is eco-friendlycauses no pollution. It is an inexpensive way of generatingelectricity and is easy to install. In future this method willbe a promising method for generating eco-friendlyelectricity.

Why did you choose to work on this project topic : Because It can be helpful to our country to reduce the cost of power,Inturn it can improve our country power generation as a reenewable energy which is having less installation and operational cost so as the cost of electricity will be at lower side.

Project Highlights : Because it is a 100% clean and renewable energy source and it has no any disadvantage except it is not mature till now in power generation,But if we apply affort more in this area we can use wastage of vibrational energy of Vehicles as a generation of Electricity.


Project Category : Electrical / Electronics / Communication
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Institute/College Name: Pandit Deendayal Petrolium University
City: Gandhinagar
State: Gujarat
Participating Team From: Third Year