Israeli Tech Company Figures Out Way To Harness Wasted Energy From Trains

An Israeli company has figured out a way to harness the power of moving locomotives by placing pads underneath the train rails to capture the power as the train glides by.

Israeli-based technology developer Innowattech specializes in the development of patented IPEG Piezo Electric Generators, which use the piezoelectric effect–the ability of a material to produce electricity when under mechanical stress–to retrieve the wasted energy vehicles create along roads, runways and rail.

This kind of technology would help build a generating capacity using energy lost from other sources - such as driving down roads or bridges.

Their proof of concept is an operational system on Israel's rail network. The piezoelectric system also can provide health data about the mode of transportation such as speed, weight, direction, and track condition among other things.