Paving the way for a zero carbon future

4/3/2010

Energy harvesting paving slab is Innovation Future Zone winner at Ecobuild 2010

An interactive paving slab that generates energy from footfall has won first place in a green innovations competition organised by the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBEKTN).

The intelligent technology designed by Pavegen Systems Ltd is a bold step towards achieving energy and cost savings in busy urban environments.

It works by converting the kinetic energy from people's footsteps into electrical energy which is stored in a battery within the paving slab. A rubber panel on the top of the slab flexes with each footstep and the force generated is used to power an energy mechanism within.

The energy produced can provide power for lighting, signage and information displays without the need to wire these electrical items into the national grid. Five hours of constant footfall would be enough to power the lighting of a bus stop all night.

The slab glows when stepped on, providing educational as well as environmental benefits by demonstrating how people can help save energy without even realising.

Installation costs are minimal as the slabs are the same size as standard paving and can be retrofitted in traditional concrete.

The energy harvesting paving system was voted best new innovation by visitors to the Ecobuild Innovation Future Zone and the MBEKTN website.

Laurence Kemball-Cook, Managing Director of Pavegen Systems said: "Thanks to everyone who came and visited us during Ecobuild. Lots of top level industry contacts were made and the level of competition was extremely high in the MBEKTN zone. We are delighted to have won the award and are now preparing for our series of commercial pilots around the UK in the coming months." 

For more information on the competition and the other green innovation finalists, click here.

Comments

Well that’s Climate Change sorted then. Well done to all involved. Glad we don’t have to keep whining on about the boring old problem of actually reducing CO2 emissions. I’m getting my patio re-paved in the morning. If I can fit my dog with some heavy boots and then lock it in the backgarden I can probably go completely off-grid.

posted by anonymous , 11/3/2010

The Innovation Futures Zone at Ecobuild was an opportunity to showcase new and near-market products which may offer benefits to the Built Environment. We were overwhelmed with the positive support and feedback from both exhibitors and attendees and we were delighted with the discussion it created. This was an open competition where the winner was selected by visitors to both the exhibition and through the on-line portal, stimulated by a breadth of opinion and imagination. This is exactly what we hoped to achieve. Thank goodness for diversity and democracy!

posted by Deborah Pullen , 23/3/2010

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