New Energy Technologies Inc., a next-generation alternative and renewable energy developer, on April 6 unveiled the company’s prototype MotionPower energy harvesting device – a first-of-its-kind, novel, modular, mechanical system, engineered to exploit the energy wasted by moving cars and light vehicles in order to generate electricity.
“For the first time ever, Americans stand to generate valuable electricity by simply driving their cars through our easy-to-install, portable MotionPower devices. With nearly 250 million cars traversing America’s roadways, we’re poised to capitalize on an untapped commercial opportunity, while delivering timely cost-savings and long-term environmental benefits to energy consumers,” said Meetesh V. Patel, president and CEO of New Energy Technologies Inc.
Once installed, engineers anticipate that MotionPower devices may be used to augment or replace conventional electricity supplies for powering roadway signs, street and building lights, storage systems for back-up and emergency power, and other electronics, appliances, and devices in homes and businesses.
Having successfully engineered and built the Company’s first prototype, New Energy engineers are now actively working to further optimize the efficiency of the MotionPower device in preparation for installations at high traffic locations such as toll booths, traffic intersections, rest areas, travel plazas, restaurant and bank drive-throughs, border crossings, and neighborhoods with traffic calming zones.
Importantly, the MotionPower device has been engineered to ensure that it can be easily manufactured, and is resistant to damage from vehicles, road debris or weather. Additionally, the prototype device is straightforward to install and boasts a modular design, allowing installers to conveniently shorten or lengthen the MotionPower energy harvester in order to customize the system based on site conditions while maximizing power output.
Engineers developing the MotionPower technology are further working to ensure that the system is able to:
· Adapt to the unique characteristics of different vehicles in order to optimize the amount of energy captured;
· Reduce or avoid potentially undesirable effects on safety, comfort of vehicle occupants, and the stability of cargo; and
· Adaptively monitor or regulate the speed or acceleration (or deceleration) of vehicles
New Energy has filed numerous patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the protection of intellectual property associated with using the motion of vehicles to generate electricity, the fastest -growing form of end-use energy in the world.
America is the world’s largest consumer of electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with nearly 70 percent of the nation’s electricity generated by coal and natural gas. The environmental impact and rising costs of these non-renewable fuels, along with the potential doubling of global electricity consumption in the coming years, clearly illustrate the urgent need for more creative, sustainable methods for generating electrical power.