Electric road for Aylesbury in the UK

Researchers from the UK’s Lancaster University will design, fabricate and test systems that generate electricity using piezoelectricity and hydromechanical dynamics from passing vehicles. The electricity produced will be stored in roadside batteries to power street lamps, road signs and air pollution monitors in the town of Aylesbury. There will also be sensors that detect the formation of potholes, according to a statement from the university’s engineering department. In addition, the so-called smart
November 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

 Researchers from the UK’s Lancaster University will design, fabricate and test systems that generate electricity using piezoelectricity and hydromechanical dynamics from passing vehicles.

The electricity produced will be stored in roadside batteries to power street lamps, road signs and air pollution monitors in the town of Aylesbury. There will also be sensors that detect the formation of potholes, according to a statement from the university’s engineering department.

In addition, the so-called smart roads will generate data on vehicle speed, type of vehicle travelling along the road, as well as other information on traffic flow. This data will help the local highways authority to better manage traffic.

“We see this next generation energy harvesting of road surfaces as an important part of future smart cities,” said Mohamed Saafi, a professor at Lancaster University. Researchers will develop designs specific to road conditions in Aylesbury. Road designs will be tested using computer simulations to determine the optimum number and locations of energy harvesting sections before being constructed and installed in Buckinghamshire.

Leading Lancaster’s Live Lab project is Buckinghamshire County Council which has chosen a road section in Aylesbury Garden Town. Aylesbury was awarded Garden Town status by the UK government 2017, meaning it was recognised as key growth area, with just over 16,000 new homes planned. To accommodate development in the town, new transport links, infrastructure and facilities will be needed. A masterplan, including cycling and walking infrastructure, for Aylesbury will soon go to public consultation.

The project in Aylesbury, which has received around €5.3 million of funding from the SMART Places Live Labs Programme, is one of eight Live Labs projects.

The €26.75 million SMART programme is funded by the 5432 Department for Transport and is led by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (3514 ADEPT). ADEPT was set up in 2010 and consists of directors from local governments at county, unitary and combined authority level as well as private and corporate business organisations.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smart road test facility in Virginia
    July 28, 2015
    A test stretch of road in the US is playing a valuable role in developing technology and boosting traffic safety -*Tom Gibson writes Located a short distance from the Virginia Tech campus in the mountains of rural southwest Virginia in the mid-Atlantic region of United States, the Virginia Smart Road looks like a conventional road. But venturing to either end of the 3.5km-long thoroughfare reveals that it actually goes nowhere, at least for now. The result of a plan conceived back in the 1980s, the Vi
    Read More
  • Solar roads such as Colas’s Wattway could be the right way
    May 10, 2016
    Peter Harrop, chairman of independent research and consultancy IDTechEx, considers arguments in favour of solar roads. Nowadays a major trend is the move to off-grid clean energy created by “energy harvesting” to produce electricity where it is needed. This is more controllable and increasingly at lower cost than grid power or diesel gensets, cleaner and often less subject to interruption. It is taking new forms as revealed in the IDTechEx Research report, “High Power Energy Harvesting 2016-2026”.
    Read More
  • Set the ALARM for repairs in England and Wales
    January 10, 2019
    More than 3,900km of roads in England and Wales will need essential maintenance within the next year, according to the annual ALARM survey* Cash-strapped local governments are reporting that the gap between the funds they received and the amount they needed for repairs and maintenance was almost €639 million. This equated to an average shortfall of €3.75 million for every authority. It would take 14 years to get local roads back into a reasonable steady state, but only if adequate funds and resources wer
    Read More
  • MIRA builds on reputation for transport excellence
    October 3, 2012
    MIRA in central England has begun a huge redevelopment of its 830 acre site that will see the renowned centre for transport technologies expand its capabilities while, at the same time, create the largest transport research and development technology park in Europe. Guy Woodford reports This is all very impressive,” said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in April 2011 on hearing a presentation of MIRA’s ambitious expansion plans. As succinct appraisals go, Clegg’s view of MIRA’s plans to develop its brand of
    Read More

Highlighted Content