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

  • UK road death statistics figures show no reduction
    September 27, 2018
    IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, said it is concerned by lack of progress in road deaths – and calls for a new focus on driver behaviour. Although cars are getting safer and there has been a step change in new road investment, careless human behaviour and increasing traffic levels are cancelling this out, according to the charity. The UK’s Department of Transport announced this week that there were 1,793 reported road deaths in 2017 - an increase of one on 2016. T
    Read More
  • European project to deliver green traffic management
    March 20, 2012
    A major European project aimed at delivering green traffic management systems in European cities and towns will be officially launched at the National Space Centre in Leicester, England, tomorrow. The project, which brings together research clusters from five European regions, is being led by the University of Leicester and Leicester City Council. Other local partners are De Montfort University, The University of Nottingham and Astrium Services – Leicester who will be working in partnership with research cl
    Read More
  • Innovation in road design and management software
    February 17, 2012
    The emphasis on data processing and re-use, continues to grow in the development of design and management software. The interoperability of software, the need to handle and process larger amounts of data, and re-use and retention of data sets from one task to another have been a growing emphasis in the past few years. It allows infrastructure companies to get better value from expensively collected information and to focus more on the whole life cycle of projects.
    Read More
  • Jacobs to provide services to Herts, UK
    May 31, 2024
    The Jacobs will also have a strategic partnership with PA Consulting’s Global Innovation and Technology Centre, an incubator for startup companies and small enterprises in the Hertfordshire town of Royston.
    Read More

Highlighted Content