Harnessing energy from passing vehicles and pedestrians
This patent takes an interesting approach to recapturing what its inventor’s refer to as “wasted” energy. It employs so-called “power generation pads”, which are located beneath road surfaces. These spring-loaded pads compress when vehicle or pedestrian traffic travels over them, and then capture energy as the springs release.
I am not sure how practical this is, or how much energy can be captured without compromising the performance of the vehicles or the safety of the pedestrians. It is, however, an interesting concept that might inspire other inventive thought.
