Signal 1: Cost-free Kinetic Energy
Non-renewable energy sources like coal and petroleum are slowly but surely getting depleted and there will come a time when the supply of these won’t be able to match their demand. This thought has created a seismic shift in the energy market leading many organizations to work on finding a sustainable energy source.
One of the most innovative ideas in this domain is that created by a British technology company Pavagen. They have designed tiles which are able to generate kinetic energy from footsteps. The functioning of these tiles is that the pressure created by pedestrians walking on these tiles causes generators in the flooring to displace vertically. This electromagnetic induction creates kinetic energy which can further be used to power devices. They have already installed these tiles on Bird street in London and also created a football pitch powered by players in Nigeria.
Not only that, but these tiles can also be used to track data of the pedestrians as this dataset will help provide many useful insights like peak hours and congested pathways. Additionally, as an incentive to people, they can be given points for walking over these tiles which can either be donated to an NGO or to fund the tuition of a student. The installation of such tiles would be a huge leap towards making cities greener and smarter.
Sources:
