California Energy Commission two pilot projects with total 2.3 million USD in 2-3 years. Proposal approved on 12-April-2017
San-Jose, California, USA by company Pyro-E LLC: is expected to build upon recent demonstrations with a design that would power up to 5,000 homes from a half-mile of highway. The company also intends to explore whether the technology could be used for data collection, recording traffic conditions and aiding navigation for self-driving cars. [Notice-1 2017] [Notice 2016] [Agreement]
a 60-meter (200 foot) stretch of asphalt roadway near the eastern edge of University of California Merced campus of the University of California, Merced, north of Fresno, will salt the pavement with 2-centimeter-wide piezoelectric generators “stacked like quarters,”.The inch-wide devices will be stacked “like quarters” within numerous arrays beneath the pavement. “You can imagine there will be two tracks of these things on the road, and the distance between them will be the length of a typical vehicle axis,” The resulting electricity could be used to power nearby lights and signs, stored in batteries or sent to the grid, Sun said. Some state estimates suggest that just 400 cars an hour would need to pass over the arrays to make them economically viable. By the University of California (Professor Jian-Qiao Sun) at 1.3 million USD. [Prof. Personal Page] [ Project Agreement]
Italy by Innowattech: According to Impregilo SpA (Salini Impregilo) the Italian construction company, the Innowattech pulled out from the project. News
The East Japan Railway Company worked in conjunction with Keio University to imbed piezo in the floor of terminals and train stations
London Club Surya and Rotterdam Watt have piezo floors to harvest energy from dancers.
Digital Safari Greenbizz Company is aiming to capitalize on the technology by building piezoelectric floors and quotes Time Magazine by indicating 1 watt per breath, 70 watts per step are possible. The product is called “Electroturf”.
Research Studies
California Energy Commission report in response to Mike Gatto, the former Southern California assemblyman who wrote the 2011 piezoelectric bill.
Piezo-Power (Piezo Power is the company that sells the product, estimating 1500 ft2 for $2250, or $1.50/ft2. The product is designed as subflooring in 3’x5’ tiles. It is estimated that about 25 percent of the 70 W in a single step is captured (17.5 W). The piezoelectric material is Rochelle salt. The Piezo Power business plan indicates that Rochelle salt costs $1 per metric ton and is sourced from Pinhuangdao Bright Chemical Company)
Virginia Tech is managing a three year project with a contract amount of $1 million.
24 Xiong, et al. “New Technologies for Development of Renewable Energy in the Public Right‐of‐Way”. DTFH61‐10‐C‐00016. FHWA 9th Quarterly Report, Virginia Tech. October 2012.
Georgia Southern University (Piezoelectric Material Research Group) (PEH tile for KSC [Kennedy Space Center] has a walkway known as "Vapor Trail") contract given by Georgia Tech Research Institute and NASA [news]