If we’re ever going to be a “green” society, energy conservation has to occur on both the macro and micro scales. Both the largest factories and smallest apartments must operate with concern for even the most minuscule amounts of wasted energy.  Similarly, energy must be derived not only from large power centers, but also at the need’s source, such as individual homes and businesses.  Home based wind turbine installations and chameleon or solar roofs could both reduce and supplement energy consumption.  But other novel means of power generation must also be employed to recapture wasted energy.

One huge source of wasted energy is the heat generated by braking vehicles during deceleration.  To harness this wasted kinetic energy, New Energy Technology has developed and is testing a product called the MotionPower Vehicle Energy Harvester.  Designed to generate electricity when a car or small truck rolls over it, such as in a parking lot or stop light, the device could be used to generate the electricity needed to run traffic equipment, area lighting, or remotely located surveillance equipment.  And with the company’s announcement that their most recent prototypes can capture 25-times the energy of earlier version, the potential uses of this technology could go a long way in providing “green” power to specific, targeted objects.