Device converts railway track vibrations into energy

[John Ashworth]

Device converts railway track vibrations into energy

Engineers in the US have developed an innovative energy harvester that has the potential to save millions of pounds in energy costs for railways while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The device, created by a team from New York's Stony Brook University, works by converting the irregular, oscillatory motion of train-induced railway vibrations into regular, unidirectional motion...

"Our invention can harness 200W of electric energy from train-induced track deflections to power track-side electrical devices such as the signal lights, cross gates, track switches and monitoring sensors"...