A pilot parking lot project by UK retailer Sainsbury’s generates electricity when cars drive over metal plates in the parking lot. Energy is captured through the up-and-down action of the metal plates, generating electricity. When cars drive over the plates, up to 30 kWh of electricity is generated per hour, or enough to power the [...]
A pilot parking lot project by UK retailer Sainsbury’s generates electricity when cars drive over metal plates in the parking lot.
Energy is captured through the up-and-down action of the metal plates, generating electricity.
When cars drive over the plates, up to 30 kWh of electricity is generated per hour, or enough to power the supermarket’s checkout registers, according to the Guardian UK. The concept comes from the idea of piezoelectric roadways.
The technology is on display at Sainsbury’s new store in Gloucester Quays, Gloucester. In addition to this sustainable feature, the store also will collect rainwater to flush its toilets, while solar thermal panels will heat nearly 100 percent of the store’s hot water during the summer. While the store was being constructed, in excess of 90 percent of the construction waste was re-used or recycled.
Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s announced its plan to divert all UK food waste away from landfill to a biomass plant by this summer.
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