Highway Energy Harvesting System: A Hybrid Energy Mat System for Toll-Based Power Generation

Abstract

India\'s heavy highway traffic presents a vast opportunity to convert the daily flow of cars into clean, renewable energy. Called Highways Harvest, this new hybrid energy mat technology was carefully designed to harvest electricity from the mechanical stress and friction that happen at tolls—locations where cars naturally slow down or stop. The system combines high-efficiency piezoelectric sensors, which can transform vertical pressure into electricity, and triboelectric layers that harvest energy from surface contact and movement, forming a thin but efficient dual-layer mat. The resultant power is channelled through a smart conditioning circuit and into Li-ion battery packs, controlled by an IoT-based power controller. Power can be supplied to toll booth lighting, display boards, or CCTV systems, nearby villages, households, etc.—converting traffic into a source of power. Engineered for India\'s varied climatic and load conditions, every mat is cost-effective, low-maintenance, and modular. Optimized 6-lane toll plaza with mats can conservatively produce –55-65 kWh/day, and scalability is traffic-dependent. At high-traffic expressway locations such as Coimbatore-Salem or Delhi-Agra, potential energy output and ROI are multiple. The power output also multiply. In addition to sustainability, Highway Harvest has tremendous economic advantages: it reduces operational energy costs, offers quick payback (ROI), and creates opportunities for the reduction of carbon emission. The system effortlessly merges with existing road infrastructure and is set to integrate with future smart highway systems. It also works around the clock, day and night, unbothered by the weather fluctuations, and takes up little space.

Introduction

India’s rising energy demands—especially for rural electrification and transportation—are outpacing conventional supply. While solar and wind are expanding, kinetic and frictional energy from vehicles remains underutilized. This study proposes "Highway Harvest," a hybrid system that captures mechanical energy from passing vehicles using piezoelectric and triboelectric technologies embedded in roadway mats, especially at high-traffic toll plazas.

Core Technologies:

• Piezoelectric Effect: Converts pressure from vehicle weight into electricity using PZT-5H ceramic disks.

• Triboelectric Effect: Converts friction between vehicle tires and surface layers into additional electrical charge.

System Design:

• Location: Vanagaram Toll Plaza on NH-32, Chennai Bypass (~95,000 PCUs/day).

• Mat Construction (3?m × 1.5?m):

  • Top Layer: PDMS + PTFE triboelectric film with copper mesh electrodes.

  • Middle Layer: Dome-shaped stainless steel pressure plate.

  • Bottom Layer: 180 piezoelectric disks (90 stacked units).

  • Protection: Polycarbonate frame with IP67 sealing.

  • Storage: 12V, 100Ah Li-ion battery with protection features.

Performance & Output:

• Per Vehicle Output:

  • Heavy vehicles: ~2.3 Wh/pass

  • Light vehicles: ~0.35 Wh/pass

  • Triboelectric addition: ~10–15% extra per pass

• Daily Output (Vanagaram site): ~10.85 kWh/day

• Monthly Output: ~325–330 kWh/month

Applications:

• Local Power Supply:

  • Toll plaza operations

  • LED street lighting

  • Water pumps and fans

  • Mobile charging stations

• Rural Electrification:

  • One mat can power 4–5 rural homes daily (avg. 2 kWh/home)

Advantages:

• Independent of sunlight or weather

• Scalable and modular

• Low-maintenance and IoT-regulated

• Green energy aligned with India’s Smart Infrastructure Mission

Challenges & Considerations:

• Limited adoption due to lack of policy support and local manufacturing.

• Environmental concerns for TENGs (humidity, dust, surface wear).

• Need for field-scale validation and economic feasibility analysis.

References

[1] Z.L. Wang, “Triboelectric nanogenerators as new energy technology for self-powered systems and as active mechanical and chemical sensors,” [2] Z.L. Wang and J. Chen, “Triboelectric nanogenerators as a new energy technology: From fundamentals, devices, to applications,” Advanced Materials [3] S. Priya and D.J. Inman, Energy Harvesting Technologies, Springer, 2009. [4] A. Ayed, A. Zrelli, and H. Dhouibi, “Design and realization of a piezoelectric generator for traffic applications,” International Journal of Renewable Energy Research (IJRER)-2018 [5] Khalifa, A., Ounaies, Z., Bansal, R., & Arnold, R. D. (2021). Energy harvesting from pavements using piezoelectric materials. [6] K. Asai, Y. Kawamura, and Y. Suzuki, “Roadway energy harvesting system in Japan: Experimental evaluation of piezoelectric energy harvester embedded in pavement,” IEEE ICIT, 2012. [7] Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Annual Report 2022–23, Government of India. [8] Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Monthly Generation and CO? Emissions Reports, Government of India, 2023. [9] Rajalakshmi Engineering College, “Power Generation Using Piezoelectric Effect,” International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT) [10] D. Mohan, R. Narayan, “Energy Harvesting from Road Traffic using Piezoelectric Sensors,” Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) [11] Babu, B. (2022). Flyovers, elevated corridors may not ease congestion in Chennai. The Hindu

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Karthick Aravindan R. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.