Hybrid speed bump-PV-battery-grid power generation in a smart grid environment

Abstract

To meet the growing demand for clean energy and improved energy availability factor in South Africa, various solutions are being proposed from academia and industry. Therefore, in this study, a non-conventional method of generating clean energy was designed and constructed. The proposed system harnesses the kinetic energy of vehicles driving over speed bumps and converts it to electrical energy using a generator. This energy is supplemented with the energy generated from solar PV panels to provide a sustainable power supply for traffic and streetlights. The system is further designed to operate with a grid connection as a backup. An interface was further created to give real-time monitoring of electric power generation and consumption. The setup is also suitable for areas with limited/no access to electricity, and in the case of loadshedding. The results obtained during the testing of this prototype demonstrate the effectiveness of the system to provide a reliable source of electricity for street and traffic lights to ensure safety on the roads and avoidance of traffic congestion during loadshedding. The prototype is scalable to meet future power demands and feed into the grid in a smart grid environment.