Pavegen: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 12:10, 29 October 2016
| Founder | Laurence Kemball-Cook |
|---|---|
Key people | Laurence Kemball-Cook (CEO) |
Pavegen Systems is a technology company that has developed paving slabs to convert energy from people's footsteps into electrical power.[1]
History
Pavegen Systems was founded in 2009 by Laurence Kemball-Cook. Cook, a graduate in Industrial Technology and Design from Loughborough University, took on a university placement with E.ON, and proposed using footfall as a potential power source.[2]
Thed development of the first prototype of the Pavegen flooring tile was funded by a Royal Society of Arts International Design Directions prize. The tile that converts kinetic energy from footsteps into electricity, while collecting data about walking traffic patterns. The tiles were used in a football stadium in Brazil.[3][4][5]
The first generation tile was made from recycled polymer, with the top surface made from recycled truck tires. Power is generated when a footfall compresses the slab by about 5 mm (0.2 in). The exact technology is a secret, but PaveGen officials have said it involves induction by copper coils and magnets.[6] Pavegen says each pedestrian generates up to 7 watts at 12 volts DC,[7][self-published source] enough to run an LED street lamp for 30 seconds.[1] The technology was developed by Pavegen founder Laurence Kemball-Cook.[8][9]
An improved tile was developed in 2016 which, according to the company, improved energy conversion by 'about 20 times'.[10] The amount of energy generated has been criticised, with one calculation claiming that walking for 4 hours on PaveGen paving would generate 0.02% of the average European's energy needs.[11] It has been suggested that the technology's strength rests in its ability to track volume and direction of traffic flow, thus providing useful metrics in a range of scenarios.[11]
Among other installations, the slabs have been laid at London's West Ham Underground station for the 2012 Olympic Games.[12] In April 2013, a demonstration installation harvested energy from the runners in the Paris Marathon.[13] PaveGen has also put these tiles on a public soccer field in Rio de Janeiro to allow play after sunset.[14]
A study of a central building at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, suggested that if pavers covered the 3.1% of the floor that sees the most foot traffic, it would generate an estimated 1.1 megawatt-hour per year, about 0.5% of the building's energy needs.[15]
In 2015, the company raised £1.9m through the Crowdcube platform, valuing the company at about £17m.[16][17]
In 2015, Kemball-Cook acts as CEO of the company, For his invention, he was chosen as Businessman of the Year at the PEA Awards,[clarification needed] and presented with a Shell LiveWIREGrand Ideas Award. He also was named as honorary Enterprise and Innovation Fellow by Loughborough University.[citation needed]
Criticism
The Register points out that this device generates only "tiny, pointless amounts of energy". [11]
See also
References
- ^ a b Webster, George (13 October 2011). "Green sidewalk makes electricity -- one footstep at a time". CNN International. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ "See the futuristic flooring that lights up a city through kinetic energy harvesting". National Observer, By Charles Mandel | June 13th 2016
- ^ "Six inventions that are cooler than sci-fi". Niagara Falls Review, Craig and Marc Kielberger. January 23, 2016
- ^ "Akon and Shell create Africa’s first human and solar powered football pitch". Metro, Lee Thomas-Mason 19 Jan 2016.
- ^ "Akon and Shell Partner To Create Human/Solar Powered Football Fields". 360nobs, January 20, 2016.
- ^ Khadilkar, Dhananjay (20 April 2013). "Energy-Harvesting Street Tiles Generate Power from Pavement Pounder". Scientific American. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ^ "Pavegen Official Website". The Product. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Periani, Marconi. "TEDxRio+20 Speakers". TedxRio. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved July 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Ellis, Emma Grey (13 June 2016). "The Best New Green Energy Tech Could Be Right Underfoot". Wired. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
He began developing the technology while studying design at Loughborough University, and developed the first prototype in all of 15 hours.
- ^ "Pavegen's power-generating floor is coming to Oxford Street". Wired, By Rowland Manthorpe. 11 May 2016
- ^ a b c "Pavegen: The Company that can't make energy out of crowds tries to make money out of them". The Register, 26 May 2015. Lewis Page
- ^ Ellis, Vicky (13 July 2012). "Foot power lights up Olympic walkway". energylivenews. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^ Dhananjay Khadilkar (April 20, 2013). "Energy-Harvesting Street Tiles Generate Power from Pavement Pounder". Scientific American. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^ "The floor tiles that use foot power to light up cities ". The Guardian, Killian Fox. 11 January 2015
- ^ Li, Xiaofeng; Strezov, Vladimir. "Modelling piezoelectric energy harvesting potential in an educational building". Energy Conversion and Management. 85: 435–442. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2014.05.096.
- ^ https://www.crowdcube.com/investment/pavegen-systems-ltd-19189
- ^ https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/25/pavegen-kicks-off-crowdcube-campaign-to-power-up-its-kinetic-flooring-business/