Pavegen, Former ID Student's Electricity-Generating Floor Tile, Gaining Traction Several years ago, British entrepreneur Laurence Kemball-Cook built his first Pavegen electricity generating prototype while studying Industrial Design & Technology at Loughborough University. The Pavegen is a floor tile, similar in concept to (though developed independently of) the Sustainable Dance Floor from the Netherlands. Like that product, it captures electricity generated by footfalls, making it an ideal way to generate power from nothing more than people walking over it. In December of last year the Pavegen began real-world trials at a grammar school in Kent, and now Kemball-Cook has received his first commercial order for the system: The new Westfield Stratford City Shopping Centre in East London plans to roll out a grid of Pavegens to power the lighting. "30 million shoppers a year = great for Pavegen!" With tops surfaced in 100% recycled truck tires, the Pavegens are designed to withstand outdoor punishment. You can learn more about the Pavegen and how it works here.
Rain The major cause of rain production is moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts. If enough moisture and upward motion is present, precipitation falls from convective clouds (those with strong upward vertical motion) such as cumulonimbus (thunder clouds) which can organize into narrow rainbands. In mountainous areas, heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation which forces moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall along the sides of mountains. On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by downslope flow which causes heating and drying of the air mass. The movement of the monsoon trough, or intertropical convergence zone, brings rainy seasons to savannah climes. The urban heat island effect leads to increased rainfall, both in amounts and intensity, downwind of cities. Formation Water-saturated air and . Causes
images (1) Nuclear energy Nuclear energy usually means the part of the energy of an atomic nucleus, which can be released by fusion or fission or radioactive decay. Nuclear energy may also refer to: Electricity Generating Dance Floors and Other Miracles of Piezoelectricity - Technology Even if the planet doubled the amount of solar and wind power available tomorrow, there would still be a shortage of clean electricity. We need to grab energy from wherever we can find it, which is why piezoelectricity—the charge that gathers in solid materials like crystal and ceramic in response to strain—has recently begun to pique the interest of entrepreneurs and scientists alike. A number of materials are piezoelectric, including topaz, quartz, cane sugar, and tourmaline. That means a charge begins accumulating inside these materials when pressure is applied. One of the most popular uses for piezoelectricity in the past few years relies on roads and sidewalks. After Club Watt, the piezoelectric floors kept coming. Piezoelectrics are also increasingly becoming common on roads. In Israel, a company called Innowattech is installing strips of asphalt embedded with piezoelectric materials. The technology just keeps getting better, too.
Tidal Power Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity. Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Among sources of renewable energy, tidal power has traditionally suffered from relatively high cost and limited availability of sites with sufficiently high tidal ranges or flow velocities, thus constricting its total availability. However, many recent technological developments and improvements, both in design (e.g. dynamic tidal power, tidal lagoons) and turbine technology (e.g. new axial turbines, cross flow turbines), indicate that the total availability of tidal power may be much higher than previously assumed, and that economic and environmental costs may be brought down to competitive levels. Generation of tidal energy[edit] Variation of tides over a day Generating methods[edit] Notes[edit]
images (2) Non-renewable resource A non-renewable resource (also called a finite resource) is a resource that does not renew itself at a sufficient rate for sustainable economic extraction in meaningful human time-frames. An example is carbon-based, organically-derived fuel. The original organic material, with the aid of heat and pressure, becomes a fuel such as oil or gas. Earth minerals and metal ores, fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas), nuclear fuels, and groundwater in certain aquifers are all non-renewable resources. In contrast, resources such as timber (when harvested sustainably) and wind (used to power energy conversion systems) are considered renewable resources, largely because their localized replenishment can occur within timeframes meaningful to humans. Earth minerals and metal ores[edit] Main articles: Mineral and Ore Fossil fuels[edit] Main article: Fossil fuel At present, the main energy source used by humans is non-renewable fossil fuels. Nuclear fuels[edit] Main article: Nuclear fuel
Pavegen tiles harvest energy from footsteps Pavegen tiles harvest kinetic energy from pedestrian traffic Image Gallery (6 images) Can you imagine the power of 50,000 steps a day? Well, Laurence Kembell-Cook, the director of Pavegen Systems imagined it and created Pavegen tiles - a low carbon solution that aims to bring kinetic energy harvesting to the streets. Not surprisingly, the tile is receiving a great deal of attention as a solution for power-hungry cities with a lot of walking traffic. View all Designed for use in in high foot-traffic areas, the tiles convert the kinetic energy from footsteps of pedestrians into renewable electricity, which can be stored in a lithium polymer battery or used to power low-wattage, off-grid applications like street lighting, displays, speakers, alarms, signs, and advertising. The tiles are made from nearly 100-percent recycled materials (mostly rubber) and some marine grade stainless steel. Here's the company's product demo: Post a CommentRelated Articles
Geothermal Enegry From hot springs, geothermal energy has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but it is now better known for electricity generation. Worldwide, 11,400 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power is online in 24 countries in 2012.[5] An additional 28 gigawatts of direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications in 2010.[6] Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly,[7] but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. History
images (3) Natural gas Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants, gases, and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. The energy that the plants originally obtained from the sun is stored in the form of chemical bonds in natural gas. Natural gas is a nonrenewable resource because it cannot be replenished on a human time frame.[1] Natural gas is a hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, but commonly includes varying amounts of other higher alkanes and even a lesser percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide.[2] Natural gas is an energy source often used for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals. Natural gas is found in deep underground rock formations or associated with other hydrocarbon reservoirs in coal beds and as methane clathrates. Sources[edit] Natural gas[edit]
Five ways to convert your footsteps into renewable energy Five ways to convert your footsteps into renewable energy After realizing the availability issues of the non-renewable sources, the renewable sources of energy like wind, water and sun are being constantly and increasingly used by people to generate power. Have you ever thought that you can generate electricity with your footsteps? Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, but it can be converted from one form to another. Whenever you move your feet your kinetic energy is wasted as heat energy. 1. Japanese telecommunications giant, NTT has developed shoes that generate electricity from the kinetic energy produced by you while walking. 2. The energy generated by humans while taking a step forward is around 20W which is lost as heat. 3. The Dutch architectural firm Döll teamed up with environmental organization Enviu to create the green energy producing Sustainable Dance Club in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 4. 5. Enjoyed this post? Categories: Renewable Energy Tags: