Air 'could be used to generate electricity for planes and cars'

FLOWING air could be used to generate electricity for planes and cars, researchers have found.
Scientists are working on the concept using materials known as piezoelectrics which convert the energy of motion into electricity.
The devices, which are just an inch long, could be mounted on a car roof or aircraft fuselage. Internal vibrations caused by air flowing around the moving vehicle would produce an output voltage.
The power generated would not be enough to replace car or plane engines, but it could run electrical systems for dash board or cockpit instruments.
A team led by Professor Yiannis Andreopoulos, from the City College of New York, is developing the devices and currently trying to improve their efficiency. Two approaches are being explored that involve causing the device to vibrate 'in resonance with the air flow, or shake around in turbulence. TG
Wind tunnel data and other research findings from the project were presented at the annual meeting of the American Physical societys Division of Fluid Dynamics in Minneapolis, US.
'These devices open the possibility to continuously scavenge otherwise wasted energy from the environment, said Prof Andreopoulos. TG