While the idea sounds strange there are large areas where traffic jams are the norm and perhaps none so notorious as Los Angeles. Due to this prime location, the California Energy Commission is investing $2 million in two pilot studies of the crystal technology (one of which will be run by The University of California). This is to meet a goal whereby over 50 percent of the state’s energy supply is generated via renewable electricity by 2030.
The types of crystals to be used are piezoelectric crystals. These are not new, given they are the source of flames in many cigarette lighters. Moreover, the generation of electricity from such crystals is also well established – if you have a quartz watch, then piezoelectricity is what helps it keep regular time. What is different is the application.
Science fact: Piezoelectricity
Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals) in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure. With crystals, of the 32 known crystal classes (which are based on a set of symmetry operations), 21 are non-centrosymmetric (not having a centre of symmetry), and of these, 20 exhibit direct piezoelectricity.
According to BBC Science, researchers have estimated that if piezoelectric crystals are positioned on a 10-mile stretch of highway the crystals could generate enough electricity to power the city of Burbank, which has a population of more than 100,000.
Quoted by The Independent, Los Angeles assembly member Mike Gatto proposed the project, said: “I still get stopped on the street by people who ask what happened to the idea of using our roads to generate electricity. California is the car capital of the world and we recycle just about everything. So why not capture the energy from road vibrations and put it to good use?”
