I was out for a run earlier today when I recalled an article I had read sometime last year about a group of students who had worked out a way to utilize the power of footsteps on the sidewalk and cars on the road. The source of the power comes from the simple pressures and vibrations of passing pedestrians and vehicles on a system designed to convert that kinetic energy into stored electric energy through a process known as the piezoelectric effect. A quick look over at Wiki will tell you that this effect was first studied in the late 19th century and has been used for a variety of applications ever since. Anyway, I got to thinking how useful this type of system would be in a large urban center at, say, a major race. The runners' own feet could help power the very event they are participating in! Well, turns out, as with many great ideas we have, someone already thought of it and implemented it.
Laurence Kemball-Cook founded Pavegen Systems Ltd. back in 2009 after developing his recycled rubber "Pavegen" pavement slabs that harness the piezoelectric effect. It has taken a few years for his concept to gain steam, but just last month at the 2013 Paris marathon, thousands of runners cruised across 25 meters of these tiles, each step generating about 8 watts of kinetic energy to be captured and stored for later use. This fascinating technology is not without it's pitfalls. A 2010 Pop Science article referencing the Sustainable Dance Club in Rotterdam quotes a study claiming that the concept just isn't energy efficient enough. Pavegen seems to have overcome this hurdle, though Kemball-Cook won't reveal exactly how his invention works. A recent Design News article notes that the device even manages to harness enough power to divert some energy for data capturing, allowing city administrators to better map pedestrian traffic, leading to "smarter" cities. The slabs even light up with each step, creating an interactive user experience. A 2011 CNN article discusses the cost issue, which may be the reason this product hasn't quite taken off yet, and Kemball-Cook has also been tight-lipped about the cost of his device. However, he does claim to have cut the cost in half in the last year, which is promising. You can check out his 2012 Ted Talk here.
But even with a cheaper device or components, the design appears to require removing the current surface and building the Pavegen slabs right into the ground. Besides the actual device, this installation and inevitable on-site maintenance will continue to pose a prohibitive cost. A potential design to bypass this problem would be to build the slabs onto large strips that could be rolled out for big events such as races or festivals. This would save time and money on installation. Additionally, maintenance and repairs could be done at the manufacturer's location instead of sending a team to the site any time the device breaks down. Of course, this would only work for temporary settings, but it could help offset the energy use of large events held in urban areas. But as I mentioned before, I'm sure some clever engineer at Pavegen (if not Kemball-Cook himself) has already toyed with this concept, so hopefully we something like it is already in the works.
As for that original article that popped into my head during my run, it may have been this one from Yanko Designs. It's got some cool mock-ups (purportedly from G.E.) of a fully outfitted piezoelectrically powered intersection. Considering the high walkability of NYC and the propensity of inhabitants to frequently don their running shoes en masse, I hope Pavegen (or some other enterprising organization) can work out the kinks and costs of this intriguing technology and we begin to see it soon throughout our Fair City.
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