Researchers at Aalto University’s HybLab research network added an electric power transmission system into heavy construction equipment to capture energy that is otherwise lost.
Similar technology has already proven successful in cars, but hybrid cars only capture energy from wheels during deceleration. Construction machinery creates most of the extra energy during work tasks. This energy has not been captured until now.
So successful have initial results been that Professor Jussi Suomela, who is in charge of the project, thinks that construction plant may even able to release stored electrical energy back into the grid.
The researchers are now analyzing the work cycles of different types of machinery to find out which work tasks allow energy to be captured. Deceleration and lowering a load are typical examples. This technology enables short-term energy storage, making it possible to store energy for later use during a peak in power demand. The electric transmission generates other side benefits such as better controllability, operator comfort, efficiency and more freedom in the machine structure.
Reducing fuel consumption cuts operating costs as well as carbon dioxide emissions. With electric power transmission, the machines may even be connected to normal wall sockets.
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