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We move...we move a lot, we're built for it, and we do it very efficiently. But all of that movement loses energy that could, conceivably, be harvested. For example, if we could harvest the power of 84,162,203 people taking a single step, we could launch the space shuttle with that power.
Which is why people are actively looking into how we might work on capturing some of that energy. Two students at MIT, James Graham and Thaddeus Jusczyk, just won first prize at the Holcim Forum 2007 for their concept crowd farm. Basically the farm would simply be millions of tiles that, when compressed, spin a little generator. When hooked together in busy locations into "crowd farms" this could actually generate a significant amount of electricity.
This isn't as advanced as some of the plans we've seen, which utilize piezoelectric materials which, by their very nature, emit electrons when squeezed. However, piezoelectric materials are currently quite expensive, so using small generators, while probably needing more maintenence, would likely also be significantly cheaper.
Via Inhabitat
See Also:
-Dancing Green-
-Harnessing Muscle Power-
-Pedestrian Generated Power-
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written by Evan, August 15, 2007
The Japanese did a study of this as well, last year. They hooked a floor section of compression-tiles in Shinjuku station (Tokyo's central station; 3 million commuters daily) to a generator. The researchers were very disappointed with the results. After several attempts, 3m peoples' steps only generated enough energy to power a lightbulb for a few days.
If I find the story again, I'll foward it on to youse guys.
If I find the story again, I'll foward it on to youse guys.
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written by ABHY, August 16, 2007
I would like to know if there is a way to utilize the heat energy generated by the wheels of an automotive into electrical energy.
If a thermo electric device is used in every automotive wheel, to harness the heat energy and convert it to electric energy to charge batteries and, the need to use the fossil fuels can be reduced to a large extent. The device will have one end of the device in contact with the wheels and the other end kept cool.
The heat generated from the wheels will cause the electric current to flow and this current can be used to charge the fuel cells and inturn propel the vehicle from the electricity generated.
If a thermo electric device is used in every automotive wheel, to harness the heat energy and convert it to electric energy to charge batteries and, the need to use the fossil fuels can be reduced to a large extent. The device will have one end of the device in contact with the wheels and the other end kept cool.
The heat generated from the wheels will cause the electric current to flow and this current can be used to charge the fuel cells and inturn propel the vehicle from the electricity generated.
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written by strange but true, August 16, 2007
that you could launch a space shuttle with 84,162,203 people stepping!
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written by Fernando, August 21, 2007
and what about static energy, like when we walk in a carpet, we could think in the posibility to make floors of a material and think about shoes that could generate the static, and a way to use it, or wat about puting a cord like a magnet in the tunnel of the subway, and try to make energy, whith the passing of the trains, the train would pass, anway, put a cable to induce electrycity or any kind of power by magnetism, i am studing it, ciao
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How do piezoelectric materials work? Surely they've only got a finite number of electrons that they can release?