Energy Intelligence, one of the 43North winners, is developing an ultra-compact, road-mounted system that harnesses the wasted kinetic energy of braking vehicles to generate electricity. The system will be placed at sites with high volumes of traffic, such as parking garages, distribution centers, tollbooths, and border crossings, to produce energy onsite and take certain equipment off-grid. For example, the energy generated can be used to power nearby equipment such as lights, cameras, displays, gates, and other electronics, offsetting energy that would be purchased from the grid and reducing the facility's overall expenses.
With this technology, site owners can save up to 50% on their electric bills. The system costs roughly $1,000 and can pay itself back in as few as six months. Each system generates between 250W-2kW of usable electricity, and multiple systems can easily be connected in series to scale output. Full-scale installations will consist of up to 100 systems in total. The system is easy to install, given that it lays flat on the road, like a 1" thick rubber mat, requiring no excavation and no downtime for site operations. Additionally, the system is smart - with embedded sensors and wireless controls, it provides site managers with energy data as well as insights about traffic patterns and vehicles types that can help improve operations.
Energy Intelligence is led by an experienced team of engineers and entrepreneurs, and has made significant progress to date. The company has issued three patents, built and tested several prototypes, won numerous awards, and lined up potential customers and big partners. Energy Intelligence will be field-testing the system in Buffalo in the coming months. For more information visit energyintel.us.
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