Power Walk

Writer Mary Hoff
@mkhoff Science writer & editor

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September 18, 2013 — Power generation is taking a green step forward. Street tiles that capture the kinetic energy of footsteps — to power lights, digital signs, Wi-Fi zones and cell phone charging stations — have been installed at the entrance to a London shopping mall, on a plaza in Melbourne and at the finish line of the Paris Marathon, the largest installation to date. The waterproof tiles made by Pavegen are produced from recycled rubber tires and can be installed in new construction or retrofitted into existing floor systems. Pavegen’s founder told National Geographic that he expects economies of scale to bring the price to $50 per tile and hopes to see “thousands of Pavegen tiles permanently embedded in urban areas worldwide, turning cities into power plants.” Article by Monique Dubos; image courtesy of Pavegen

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Power Walk

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