Illustration of an energy harvesting device designed by the ITS student team and a series of electronic components, controllers, and batteries

ITS Campus, ITS News – The operation of toll roads in Indonesia still does not use renewable energy (EBT) as a source of electrical energy. Responding to this, four students of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), made a breakthrough of wind and solar energy harvester for independent electricity source on toll roads.

Ilham Erick Kurniawan and his three teammates, Fachry Azca Haidar Fayumi, Mohammad Alfan Affandy, and Firas Quthbi Sidqi, designed this with the vertical axis wind turbine concept. The concept means that this tool uses a wind turbine that can produce electrical energy optimally at low wind speeds. “This low wind is like the result of vehicular traffic on toll roads,” explained Ilham.

Not only utilizing wind energy, but this tool can also still utilize other sources of electrical energy. “When the condition of the toll road is quiet and there is minimal wind, our tool (design) can still utilize solar energy and convert it into electrical energy,” said this young man.

(from the left) Fachry Azca Haidar Fayumi, Ilham Eric Kurniawan, Firas Qutbi Sidqi, and Mohammad Alfan Affandy

Ilham continued, the turbine model is designed so that the incoming wind can flow towards the piezoelectric (electrical charge that accumulates in particular solid objects, ed) at the bottom of the turbine. “We choose the appropriate piezoelectric specifications so that our turbines can produce maximum power,” he added.

More profoundly, Ilham believes that his team’s tools are superior to conventional solar panels in general. In addition to being sourced from NRE, their turbines produce more significant electrical energy at lower prices and lower equipment maintenance costs. “This turbine will also reduce the use of electricity from power plants in general,” assured Ilham.

Ilham and his team’s design is further proven by achieving a bronze medal at the 34th National Student Scientific Week (Pimnas) competition in the Poster category. For further development, they will add automation features to the tool so that monitoring of the device can be done remotely. “Not only that, we hope that this tool can also be applied in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas to increase the NRE mix in Indonesia,” concluded Ilham. (ory/ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Shauma Aulya Zahra