Pittsburgh, September 5, 2008 - Source www.rinnovabili.it (geniale!)
Over the next five years, some researchers U.S. will test an experimental piezoelectric grid to obtain electricity from the rivers
TECNONEWS OF THE WEEK - The piezoelectric technology in the near future could make obsolete the current large hydroelectric power plants. At least this is what we will try to show the city of Vandergrift (Pennsylvania), where the University of Pittsburgh researchers are experimenting with generating electricity using ionic polymers immersed in a river. The revolutionary design provides for the application at the bottom of the local river, the Kiskiminetas, a grid consisting of thin strips of piezoelectric smart materials that can generate electricity at low cost without modifying the environment (an accusation that is often given to large hydro dams ). The data element is polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a partially fluorinated polymer high-performance which generates a potential difference when subjected to mechanical stress. The research team he put together a sort of "artificial seaweed" in PVDF which can be moved continuously from the water, collecting the electricity generated in some batteries. The success of the project will ensure the city center (about 5,000 inhabitants) by 20-40% or more of its energy needs from a plant width of 30 meters long and about 1.5 km, while maintaining the accessibility to the river and without altering the balance between sediment erosion and activity in the watercourse downstream. In fact, the available technology would improve the results, such as using substances other than PVDF, but at the expense of a greater impact on the environment. "There are other materials that give better performance or higher energy density," said Lisa Mauck Weiland, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsbugh and project leader. "But we are willing to sacrifice a bit of energy to keep the ecosystem intact and better. Who looks at the bottom of the river would not see anything unusual except algae and aquatic plants. "
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