Energy can be created from various sources that nature has granted. Now with human technologies growing smarter it can be yielded from motion as well. Pedestrians across the globe would soon generate energy simply while walking to work or taking strolls. This is possible because of “kinetic pavements” that covert footsteps into electricity.
A London based company “Pavegen” has developed energy harvesting tiles, made from recycled tires. The tiles, when stepped on stretch by 5 mm. This action results in 8 watts of kinetic energy which is then captured by the tile. The tile just consumes 1% of the energy created in the process of transmission. With more of the tiles and steps over them, an adequate amount of energy can be generated to light up the street lamps or even for storage purposes.
This masterpiece of innovation has been used in important events in the past. It appeared in the London Olympics 2012, where it produced 72 million joules of energy. Recently, it was also installed at the start point, in the audience platforms and other key locations of the Paris Marathon. The energy produced during the event amounted to 5 kilowatts. This amount of energy is enough to power a laptop for 52 hours, drive an electric car for more than 15 miles or even light up an entire village of a developing nation for a day.
With such innovative equipments we may soon be able to draw energy from almost anything without degrading the natural resources and causing environmental hazards.
