Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting System for Roadway Sustainability

Asphalt pavement is continuously exposed to solar radiation, which can heat the asphalt up to 60 to 70 degrees C because of the high absorptivity of its black materials. This potential source of energy has gone unused but has recently attracted attention for its potential to be collected as a renewable and clean energy source. In this paper, a novel thermoelectric roadway energy harvester is introduced that can be inserted into pavement to scavenge electrical energy from thermal energy. The energy harvester system consists of different components, including a thermoelectric generator (TEG), an L-shaped heat conductor plate, a heat sink filled with phase change material, and an insulation box. Finite element analysis and experimental testing in the laboratory were conducted to evaluate the performance of this harvesting system. Different parameters that could affect the power output were investigated, such as asphalt slab temperature (e.g., 45 degrees C, 55 degrees C, 65 degrees C), type of TEG module, number of TEG modules, and TEG configurations. The results indicate that the system is capable of producing sufficient energy to run low-powered electrical equipment used in transportation infrastructure.