Sustainable technology development is the need of the hour. With fast depleting natural resources, threat to survival has become evident. The scientists and designers are on a constant look out for designs that solve survival needs of tomorrow. It is true that highways, with its ever growing vehicular traffic, has to be blamed for creating environmental pollution. But many modern industrial designers vouch to transform this traffic lifeline into green power generation hub for future. Highways extended on vast stretch of land, have potential for developing many sustainable means of generating power. Electric cars, e turbine, solar and wind energy lighting and solar powered air purifiers are few of the futuristic designs to curb the pollution levels and build self- reliant system through highways.
It will not be long when these green innovations fructify our highways into power generating hubs. It is most likely that they might soon start fueling power to our residential complexes and industrial hubs. This will not only be a cheaper option but will also save our leftover non- renewable energy resources like coal, nuclear and petroleum products.
1. Solar-powered City Air Purifier
Air pollution has done enough damage to our health as well as our ecosystem. Ever rising vehicular traffic on our streets and highways needs a check. It is possible now through a solution provided by industrial designer, Ken Jansinski. Jansinski’s solar-powered air purifier can be attached on any existing street lighting poles. It uses solar panel to generate energy for running ultraviolet air purification system. The system captures carbon dioxide from surrounding air and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. It is designed to work on overcast days as well.
2. E Turbine
So far we are aware of cars prone to consuming generated energy but new developed concept has made it possible to generate renewable energy from car movements on highways. Industrial designer, Pedro Gomes uses e turbine technology where air movement caused by fast pacing cars to convert into renewable energy. This energy can be further utilized for street and road lighting, information panels and emergency phones. Placed in between two lanes, the system generates energy from vehicular air movement, which is transferred to main battery.
3. Concept Road Ribs to Generate Energy from Traffic Movement
Electricity generating road ribs is a design that allows the vehicular traffic on highways to produce renewable energy by their movement. These road ribs are here to convert energy in fuels used by vehicles into usable energy. This is more like best from waste. This saved energy can be utilized for lighting highways or charging electric vehicles. This technology is based on concept that any moving vehicle is bound to make ribs move as well, this in turn generates energy and this energy can be stored in batteries placed along roadside. These ribs are capable of withstanding heavy vehicular weights without showing signs of wear and tear.
4. Concept Highway Lighting – Night Owl
Industrial designer Eden Kurzweils has made this preparation for soon approaching era when electricity will be unaffordable. Foreseeing the depleting other source of energy, he feels only solar resources have the potential for future needs. This LED lighting system is powered by solar energy. This will illuminate cities and roads by LED clusters that rely on batteries charged by large flexible polymer solar films integrated on the top of the lights. It is low in maintenance.
5. Green Roadways Project for Wind and Solar Power Generation
Innovators, Gene Fein and ED Merritt conceived the idea of utilizing potential growth of highways into renewable energy generating spaces. Vast stretches of highways are suitable for placing these green generators, wind turbines and solar panels. This progressive roadway project makes use of strings of solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal devices to transform natural resources like sunlight and wind into electricity. The idea was to make highways capable of electrifying our cities with green energy and at the same time can become charging stations for electric vehicle.
