Kinetic energy is perhaps the most abundant energy on Earth. Almost everything is moving, and in large cities, there is so much wasted energy not being harnessed. PaveGen, a UK based company, has created a way to capture energy from each passing footstep and convert it into usable electricity.
There isn’t a lot of detailed information showing us exactly how these mats work, but the gist is, each time a person steps on a rubber mat, energy is captured, a light glows on, and users get immediate feedback showing they are part of the renewable energy process.
The excess energy is stored in a lithium polymer battery or used for off-grid applications like lampposts and advertising. Each step, produces around 2.1 watts-hour of electricity. Not much, but in areas with high foot traffic like shopping malls, subways, busy streets, or airports, it could be enough to provide electricity for the entire building.
The tiles are incredibly eco-friendly with the casing made out of marine grade stainless steel and recycled polymer. The top portion of the tile is made out of 100 percent recycled tires and is touted by Pavegen to be extremely weather-resistant.
PaveGen has already installed its tiles back in 2010 at a school of 1,100 students and reported great results. More recently, PaveGen (in conjunction with Nike) has installed their tiles at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. They are also scheduled to install these tiles at the 2012 Olympics site in London.
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