Evaluation of a Novel Road Thermoelectric Generator System

Abstract

Capturing the unused energy is the challenging aspect in the harvesting process. Since one potentially important component for energy harvesting in the transportation sector is pavement, successful energy harvesting from roadway pavements can lead to sustainable transportation infrastructure systems. Asphalt pavement surface temperature can reach up to 70˚C in summer because of solar radiation. This paper presents a development of novel set of road thermoelectric generator system and describes the operation, design, and performance of the system installed within pavement that captures the heat energy from the temperature differential between the pavement surface and the subgrade soil. Designed prototype encompasses of thermoelectric generator, coolant module, heat collector and conductor. The efficiency and performance of the designed system were evaluated through the experiments and finite element modeling. Based on the results, the generated electrical power from the asphalt pavement could be a key source for providing off-grid power supply for sensors used in smart infrastructure, structural health monitoring, and environment sensing.