Application of Piezoelectric Transducers on the Bus Stop as Source of Electricity for Charging Station

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Per the continuously growing number of electricity consumers worldwide, it can be delineated that limitation in usage has now become necessary (Department of Energy, 2018). Aside from security of the resources through limitation, the potential of piezoelectricity in harvesting energy in an environment friendly manner was seen effective. Thus, the research study aimed to utilize piezoelectric transducers in electricity production for charging stations in finding alternative source of energy for daily use through experimentation.

METHODS

The experimentation was conducted at a laboratory in Emilio Aguinaldo College. The piezoelectric prototype consists of piezoelectric transducers, wire, voltage doubler, LED, printed circuit board, and power bank. The piezoelectric transducers were placed on cement road model to receive mechanical pressure from passing wheels, simulating a vehicle passing or stopping at the bus stop. The voltage outputs were measured using a digital multimeter tester.

RESULTS

The study focused mainly on 1) average voltage output of piezoelectric transducers, 2) influence of wheel mass on voltage output, and 3) capacity of transducers to handle varying weight. The piezoelectric transducers generated an average voltage output of 4.15 V, higher compared to voltage output by running and walking in the study of Mehrotra (2016) which is said to produce an average output of 2.558 V. Moreover, using the same model, the piezoelectric transducers showed difference in voltage output of varying wheel masses showing the influence of mass on the produced voltages. The model showed that the greater the mass, the greater the voltage produced by the transducer. Furthermore, the piezoelectric road model accommodated varying wheel masses.

DISCUSSIONS

The results showed that piezoelectricity can power up a charging station. However, results revealed the need for improvement in the road model to provide better energy harvesting prototype. Moreover, the study was limited to the influence of wheel mass, excluding influence of duration of mechanical stress on the transducers. Hence, the research has room for improvement for further study.