Energy output and pavement performance of road thermoelectric generator system

Global warming is driving the search for emissions-free energy sources. This study proposes a novel road thermoelectric generator system (RTEGS) based on the Seebeck effect, which transforms the thermal of asphalt pavement into electricity. The RTEGS comprises asphalt pavement, a thermoelectric generator, and a cold-side module. Finite element simulation is used to verify the rationality of the main structure of asphalt pavement. Power generation and road performance were explored via a combination of indoor and outdoor experiments. The results show that a proposed RTEGS covering an area of 900 cm² could generate a maximum voltage of 6.207 V and a maximum power of 700.49 mW. Its maximum power density is 5.136 mW/cm³, which is 70.06% higher than that of the next-best existing RTEGS (the maximum power density is 3.02 mW/cm³). The proposed RTEGS also has excellent road performance, with dynamic stability of 10,000 cycles/mm and fatigue life of 246,000 cycles. The proposed RTEGS provides a profitable way to generate emissions-free electricity.