Startup Aims to Harvest Energy from Students
We know our kids have lots of energy, and not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could harness some of it to power other things. But you can’t really keep your kids on a power-generating treadmill all day long… However, one clean tech startup knows how to harvest some of that ubiquitous kid energy, and wants to connect that ability with renewable energy education by installing their disruptive technology in schools.
No, Pavegen won’t plug your kids in, à la The Matrix, but they do have the technology to harvest the kinetic energy from students’ footsteps as they walk (or perhaps run) through the school hallways.
“Pavegen harnesses the kinetic energy from footsteps and converts it into renewable electricity. Just by stepping, jumping, or hopping on a Pavegen floor tile, people create clean, off-grid electricity used to power multiple applications – from lighting, to interactive learning displays and charging points. Data on the energy harvested and footfall can be sent immediately to any web address from each unit.”
The top surface of the Pavegen unit is 100% recycled rubber, the base is built from over 80% recycled materials, the units are waterproof and durable, and the Pavegen system is designed to be retrofitted in place of existing flooring.
Right now, Pavegen is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund installations in two schools (one in the US and one in the UK), along with interactive renewable energy displays and software and equipment to be able to send the Pavegen data to a website, such as the school’s.
The campaign runs through January 28th, so if you’d like to support clean energy innovation and renewable energy education, please consider chipping in to help fund it.
what an incredible idea, I’ve often wondered why all gym’s don’t harness the power from their clients on treadmills and such to cover their utilities.