A Novel Thermoelectric Approach to Energy Harvesting from Road Pavement

This paper presents a preview of an ongoing study to develop an energy harvesting system based on thermoelectric technology embedded into the pavements structure. The asphalt pavement surface temperature in the summer can reach 60°C because of solar radiation. Two prototypes with different designs were developed to extract the heat energy from the temperature differential between the pavement surface and the subgrade soil. Designed prototype encompasses of thermoelectric generator, coolant module, heat collector, and conductor. Evaluation of prototypes was carried out through finite element analysis and laboratory testing. The results available to date suggest that this technology shows promise in powering LED traffic lights and wireless sensors embedded into pavement structures.