SELF-POWERED PAVEMENTS
With the implementation of piezoelectric systems, the movement of traffic and pedestrians could light the way
WORDS MAGGIE PHILBIN
Something for nothing always appeals. Why pay a fortune to power a motorway when it could just as easily power itself? If our roads were paved with the right stuff, we could store the electrical charges that accumulate under the ground and use that to illuminate our roads.
Piezoelectricity is electricity that’s generated from pressure, and it’s used in a wide range of applications today, from cigarette lighters to inkjet printers. The only question is, can it scale? It’s one thing to generate low-level lighting by dancing on a disco floor – as seen in ‘eco-discos’ in London and Rotterdam – but could piezoelectric pads set under tarmac power the lights and signage along our major roads?