Startup technology 20energy is bringing a revolution on Italian motorways and in the world of renewable energy. Their system, called Lybra, uses flat rubber-coated panels placed directly on the road surface. These panels, when compressed by the passage of vehicles, lower by a few centimeters, thus transforming the'kinetic energy in electricity through a highly efficient and innovative generator.
One of the most notable aspects of Lybra is its double contribution: it doesn't just generate the energy, but also moderates vehicle speed without the discomfort caused by traditional speed bumps. This means less wear for the brakes and greater safety, especially in critical points such as intersections, roundabouts and motorway entrances.
System maintenance is minimal, requiring just four hours per year per system, and performance is guaranteed for the lifetime of the device. This promise of low maintenance and high efficiency delivers Libra an attractive solution for clean energy production along highways.
The draft Autostrade per l'Italia, Named “Kinetic Energy Harvesting from Vehicles” (KEHV), is currently testing the technology in the Arno Est service station on the A1.
The recorded figures are promising: a form of Lybra, thanks to the transit of 9.000 vehicles per day, it can generate up to 30 Megawatt hours per year, saving the emission of 11 tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 10 families to power their homes. If we consider the consumption of the Florence West motorway barrier, which is around 60 MWh per year, only two of these systems would be enough to cover the needs.
The projections of Movyon, Autostrade per l'Italia's research and innovation centre, for the Milan North and Milan South barriers, with a daily traffic of around 8.000 heavy vehicles and 63.000 light vehicles, indicate the possibility of generating over 200 MWh all per year for each toll station. This data not only demonstrates Lybra's effectiveness as a renewable energy source, but also its potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of highway traffic.
The KEHV project fits into a broader context of efforts to reduceenvironmental impact of the transport sector and could be a model for other infrastructure around the world. The energy collected can be used directly to power energy needs such as lighting petrol stations and toll booths or stored for future use.
Autostrade per l'Italia intends to support this system with its own Green project, which involves the planting of thousands of trees along the motorways. Together, these initiatives aim to create a highway infrastructure that not only respects the environment, but actively supports it. In this vision, every journey contributes to the well-being of the planet, and motorways become the arteries of an increasingly green and energy-rich Italy. planet.
While Lybra's innovation and the KEHV project represent significant steps forward towards a more sustainable highway infrastructure, the theory underlying the use of mechanical energy for useful work raises some practical questions. According to the laws of physics, energy cannot be obtained without being taken from somewhere. This essentially means that generating electricity from passing vehicles could theoretically slow down cars, consequently increasing the work of the engine.
In motorway contexts, where it is not desirable to slow down vehicles, some voices in the fields of physics and engineering suggest that it could be more advantageous to invest in alternative technologies, such as panels sun care. The latter, in fact, have the potential to generate a greater amount of energy over time compared to kinetic energy harvesting devices, without affecting the transit speed of vehicles.
The challenge for initiatives such as that of Autostrade per l'Italia is therefore to balance enthusiasm for innovation with a critical evaluation of the practical implications and actual energy efficiency. In this way, it will be possible to ensure that each solution adopted is not only sustainable on an environmental level, but also optimal in terms ofenergy efficiency.
SOURCE: https://www.contatti-energia.it/
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