Speed Bumps Becoming Slightly More Exciting
New devices generate eletricity, buzz
By ANDREA BERRY
Updated 1:55 PM EST, Mon, Oct 12, 2009
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Speed bumps are supposed to slow things down, but in Georgetown, a new one is powering things up.
It's a high-tech device right outside the Four Seasons Hotel. It captures energy from cars as they slow down, and it converts that power into electricity.
Pretty sweet, right?
Well, be forewarned. Your mental picture is probably more spectacular than the real deal. It's basically a flat piece of metal over a grate.
But the sky's the limit, according to the friendly folks at New Energy Technologies, Inc., the company that designed the speed bumps.
By their calculations, if they could harness the power of the 250 million cars on American roads each day, there would be enough energy to power 500,000 homes.
Right now, of course, all that energy is focused on flickering a green light on and off -- kind of like a high-tech light switch.
First Published: Oct 12, 2009 11:09 AM EST
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