Steps Turning Into Energy

Kinetic floor tiles capture the energy generated when people walk over them. These floors convert footsteps into electricity, powering everything from street lighting to interactive advertisements. Pavegen, a British company, pioneered this technology starting in 2008. Since then, they have continued their work to turn kinetic flooring into reality. Walking on these special tiles is similar to running on a carpet or athletic track, because each tile bends approximately 5 millimetres when you step on it; this is sufficient to generate electricity that can be used immediately or stored in a battery for later use. In terms of energy production output, kinetic tiles generate 2 to 8 watts per footstep. This is particularly noteworthy when you consider that each step lasts approximately half a second. Pavegen produced their first prototype piezoelectric kinetic tile in 2008. Eight years later, they improved the design by shifting to a triangular shape to maximize performance.

What is Piezoelectricity and How Does it Work?

Kinetic floors operate on the scientific principle of piezoelectricity. When an object is subjected to mechanical pressure (that is, when something presses on it), it generates an electrical current. We have known this since the Victorian period, since its discovery by Jacques and Pierre Curie, but applying this concept to flooring is quite recent.

From Theory to Practice

Converting a scientific principle into a real product is always a difficult process. The goal of this technology is to efficiently capture the energy of a single human step. However, since each step only lasts half a second, this was not very meaningful. At this point, Pavegen found a way to convert successive footsteps into a steady electrical current through a design that combines piezoelectricity with electromagnetic induction and inertia using a flywheel that maximizes electricity generation. With recent developments, the triangular tile ensures that the same amount of potential energy is transferred regardless of where on the tile you step.

Using the Energy Generated

Pavegen equipped two neighbourhood football fields, one in Brazil and the other in Nigeria. In both cases, the kinetic tiles managed to work hand in hand with solar panels to power the football field floodlights. In 2013, Pavegen installed kinetic tiles in the final stretch of the Paris Marathon, which resulted in 40,000 people running to the finish line generating 7kWh of power. Kinetic tiles were the star of the show at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show, where they powered the winning garden while increasing the harmony of the floral design. Pavegen was also recognized alongside Bulb Energy for the Digital Agenda award for their contributions to smart city technology. Pedestrian traffic is key to effectively utilizing this technology. School corridors, airport terminals, a corner of Oxford Street and a French train station in Saint-Omer are just a few of over 200 locations in more than 30 countries where kinetic tiles can be seen operating. An increasing number of companies are showing interest in energy-generating floors. Energy Floors is a Dutch company that transformed the floor of Club Watt in Rotterdam into a sustainable dance floor and reduced the club's electricity bills by 30%. Energy-generating floors are only the beginning. An Italian company is currently working on speed bumps that generate electricity as cars pass over them. With a daily traffic of 400 vehicles, Lybra Speed Absorber can generate a powerful amount of energy worth 6GWh per year, equivalent to what a full-size wind turbine produces. Both kinetic floors and speed bumps share a common feature: the energy captured is intended first and foremost for the nearest use. Street lighting, digital advertising screens, floodlights or charging stations can benefit from this technology. What is important here is that these objects no longer need to be connected to the electrical grid and can be completely self-sufficient.

What is the Cost of Kinetic Flooring?

Like all advanced technologies, kinetic floors are relatively expensive. Today, one square foot (approximately one-tenth of a square metre) of kinetic flooring costs 80 pounds. In addition, kinetic floors currently have a lifespan of only five years, which makes it difficult to amortize the cost. However, the cost per square metre is declining rapidly, falling from an incredibly high initial figure of around 1,700 pounds to below 100 pounds by 2018. Pavegen is estimated to be able to reduce costs to around five pounds per square foot by the end of the next decade. When the cost in this way falls to a competitive level, kinetic floor technology will be a much more valuable investment, representing a suitable option for many public spaces.

The Future of Kinetic Flooring

In the near future, kinetic floors, smart speed bumps and piezoelectric technology in the form of reactive surfaces may become much more common in our daily lives. We may encounter this technology on roads, pavements, plazas, shopping centres, airports and many other different places. Electricity from smart floors can be used together with other renewable sources such as solar and wind, compensating for their sensitivity to changing weather conditions. If we want to make the future green, it is very important to increase the number of simultaneous renewable energy sources. Unlike solar, wind and hydroelectric plants, kinetic floors do not need to be on a very large scale. What matters is the density of traffic on them.

Smart Cities: Self-Sufficient Foundations

Energy-generating flooring is an important component of smart city concepts. Calculations show that a dozen kinetic tiles can power a street lamp throughout the night. By strategically placing kinetic tiles in certain areas of a city, it is possible to achieve energy savings through lighting, mobile phone charging stations at bus stops and interactive screens powered solely by pedestrian traffic. Kinetic tiles, looking across England, have the potential to generate much of the 5.5TWh of annual electricity consumption spent by 6 million street lamps. Adoption of this technology could prevent 50,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Additionally, as it will be self-sufficient, it protects street lighting against power cuts.

Commercial Use: Savings with Every Step

Kinetic floors have surprising commercial applications in retail areas. The energy generated as shoppers make their purchases or check out the latest trends is much more valuable than commonly thought. In the future, thanks to kinetic floor tiles, your steps could be converted into digital currency. You could benefit from discounts through the steps you take. In addition, companies can use these smart floors to individually guide their customers. For example, they could apply personalized notifications such as "Visit our electronics department to see new devices and earn 20 points off your next purchase."

A Smarter, Greener Future

In the future, since many more people will live in cities rather than rural areas (according to a UN report, 66% of the world population will by 2050), kinetic floors and smart speed bumps could help reduce our energy footprint. In coming years, the green energy potential of smart surfaces will carry a multiplier effect because they can benefit from more than one renewable energy source at a time. For example, a kinetic floor tile that also incorporates a flexible solar panel may be slightly less efficient than a standard solar panel when static, but it can continue to generate electricity after sunset. In conclusion, every step means a certain amount of energy. For a more environmentally friendly world, this energy should be used more efficiently in the future. Prepared by: B. Serhat Cengiz Sources • https://theswitch.co.uk • https://pavegen.com/ • https://energy-floors.com/