Australian
Monday 9/6/2008 Page: 5
THE power of the wind and the tide have been harnessed, now the footfalls of trudging shoppers are to become the latest source of emission-free energy. British-designed generators powered by "heel strike" may soon be installed beneath the floors in supermarkets and railway stations. The technology could use the footsteps of pedestrians to power thousands of lightbulbs at shopping centres. It works by using the pressure of feet on the floor to compress pads, driving fluid through mini-turbines.
Engineers who have modelled the effects of the technology at a station in central London have calculated that the 34,000 travellers passing through every hour could power 6500 lightbulbs. Structural engineer David Webb said: "It's just picking up on the fact that all structures move a bit. This technology says, 'OK, we can do something useful with that energy'."
0 comments:
Post a Comment