All of us might have learnt in primary science that our body exerts and converts energy to carry out bodily functions. This energy is often exerted in various forms like heat, friction etc. While walking, our body converts the chemical energy to kinetic energy helping us in moving. Now, what if we could convert that exerted kinetic energy to electricity. This could be one of the cleanest power source. We could install it on roads and shopping areas wherever we can find a crowd, and use their kinetic energy to generate electricity enough to light up street lights and traffic signals.
One of the problems that this system processes is that if some of our kinetic energy is converted to electricity then our speed will slow down, resulting in more usage of our energy. In simpler words, we will require more energy to travel the same distance and speed. However, according to the calculations the kinetic difference is almost zero, 95% of us won’t even feel the difference, and for the rest of the people we can have an option for a regular walkway.
Well this idea seems to be revolutionary and exciting in theory but something like this seems impractical in real life, right? Well, that's where we are wrong, Laurence Kemball-Cook, a college student, took the challenge to develop clean, off-grid energy through a simple footstep. He developed the prototype in his bedroom and took a risky move to install it on a site without permission. This is how the company Pavegen was founded.
Pavegen has developed a floor tile which when walked on can produce safe and clean energy, believe it or not it has been around since 2009. Their goal is to make a floor tile which can power the whole world. The company partners up with any organisation or institution which shares their ambition of generating cleaner electricity. Currently the company has installed tiles in over 200 locations in 37 countries.
They have installed this technology in malls, transport hubs like airports, some smart cities,
various retail stores, and various. Currently, these projects individually create enough energy to run the lighting, some air conditioning and support some other small electrical needs. However, the potential of this technology is limitless.
Have you witnessed the crowd in a railway station in india. Just imagine the amount of energy that can be generated with their footstep. It could be Modified to be installed on roads, and even airport runways. The amount of energy generated by a single flight take off is equivalent to a month's worth of energy from an ordinary project. The company is trying to make the process a lot more efficient and affordable. They want to make it simpler to maximise the production.
These are also installed on marathon routes and racetracks. The tiles have also been modified to generate electricity from dance. They have been developed into dance floors and installed in various locations. These projects serve the purpose of generating electricity as well as providing a tourist attraction. They help in increasing the traffic in retail shps and shopping malls.
One of these projects is located in Smart City Development, Bangalore, Karnataka.
This technology could easily be the future of energy. Can you think of any downsides of this tech? Share your thoughts in the comments, thanks for reading.
Written by Aneesh Agarwal