Utkarsh Singh
- Peachtree City, GA
- McIntosh High School
“The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.” One of the most devastating existing problems in the world that need immediate attention is the perseverance of the environment. With this passion for the planet, Utkarsh created the Piezoelectric road, an environmental engineering project that uses the study of Piezoelectricity and incorporates its usability into a large-scale structure of roads, mainly as a way to create an alternative energy source. The basic idea of the project is to incorporate elements called Piezoelectric crystals under the surface of the road that has the capability of
converting mechanical stress (car pressure) into electrical energy. As a car drives through these roads, they apply stress to these crystals (ex. quartz) that bulge. The converted electricity would then provide an alternative energy source to nearby utilities.
The prototype of this project was proved successful as it was able to produce significant results that outweighed the energy production of modern existing environmental-friendly resources such as hydroelectricity. Although there are some constraints such as the difficulty of incorporating such a big idea, Utkarsh is dedicated to improving this project until it is capable of serving the environment and humans, replace old energy resources, and compete with modern renewable energy resources.