PaveGen

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]

The 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.^[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 electromagnetic induction by copper coils and magnets.^[6] Pavegen says each pedestrian generates an average of 5 watts per footstep at 12-48 volts DC,^[7] 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 with Schneider Electric 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 2012, Pavegen raised £350,000 through London Business Angels, which helped the company create a tangible business. ^[16] In 2015, the company raised £1.9m through the Crowdcube platform, allowing them to gain 1500 investors and valued the company at about £17m. ^[17][18]

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, ^[19] and presented with a Shell LiveWIREGrand Ideas Award.^[20] He also was named as honorary Enterprise and Innovation Fellow by Loughborough University.^[21]

Washington DC

Pavegen have installed 240 square feet of their paving tiles on Connecticut Avenue, in Washington DC’s business district. ^[22] The installation charge batteries that power lighting in the area and provide data analytics, which will be linked to and displayed on the Golden Triangle website. ^[23] The District Department of Transportation, who helped facilitate the installation, have estimated that around 1,000 people will walk across the tiles during rush hour.^[24]

Criticism

The Register points out that this device generates only "tiny, pointless amounts of energy". ^[11]

The 'tiny' amount of power (!) per step is 0.002 Watt, so 1 Watt for every 500 steps (Pavegen's published data)

See also

• Energy harvesting
• Kinetic energy
• Renewable energy

References

External links

• Official website
• Loughborough graduate competes for design award