Energy Harvesting on Pavement A Review

Abstract

Rapid urbanization have increased the Malaysia economy’s dependence on imports of fossil fuels such as oil, petroleum and natural gas for energy output. Excessive use of fossil fuel contributes to high greenhouse gas emissions and this causes climate change and affect the ecological balance. Therefore, the energy generation through harvesting technology is much needed to improve the ecological balance. The process for energy harvesting begins with capturing and accumulating the wasted energy then storing it to be used later. According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum, roads in Malaysia are among the best in the world on par with Korea and better than some of European countries. Malaysia’s road network that connect the states, district and villages are also grows every year for the convenience of the people. Good road structure throughout Malaysia can give the benefit to the country by used it as energy source. The energy sources that can be exploited from the pavement are solar radiation, mechanical energy generated from moving vehicles or pedestrians and geothermal energy. This paper analyse key issues in pavement energy harvesting and proposing the best energy harvesting technique for Malaysia climate. The keys issues were addressed accordingly and gaps existed in the field was presented. Outcomes of the review is brief in concise manner.