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Pavegen
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 8:57 am
by Joeboy
https://www.pavegen.com/
Imagine this installed at Shibuya crossroads Tokyo!
Re: Pavegen
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:14 am
by Stinsy
I'm very sceptical about all this stuff!
A £90 solar panel will produce half a MWh a year for 30 years. I wonder how the cost/generation/lifespan of these pavement things compares?
Re: Pavegen
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:17 am
by dan_b
There surely can't be much energy harvested from a human's footstep at walking pace - gotta be far too expensive and complex and energy-intensive to make the things for it to be worthwhile?
Re: Pavegen
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:22 am
by Joeboy
dan_b wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:17 am
There surely can't be much energy harvested from a human's footstep at walking pace - gotta be far too expensive and complex and energy-intensive to make the things for it to be worthwhile?
Up to 4W per step. Not advocating it but if it's reliable and a one time install...
1,500 to 2,000 people cross Shibuya every minute. I have no way to quantify that into power!
I'll have a go though! Say it's 100 paces to cross Shibuya as tiled? That's 800kW potential gen every minute on the single tile test (it's a busy tile that one)! I wonder how many could be fitted and the tread rate. Impractical likely but as they say no planet 2...
Re: Pavegen
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:27 am
by sharpener
This comes round and round every few years. Each time some new class of material e.g. triboelectrics is invented this is heralded as the possible miracle application.
Even supposing the conversion efficiency were useful the complications of maintaining it and repairs/re-instatement after trenching for other services etc would surely make it a non-starter.
And the energy has to come from somewhere - the leg muscles of the pedestrians. If generating a useful amount per step it would feel like walking through marshland.
Joeboy wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:22 am
Up to 4W per step. Not advocating it but if it's reliable and a one time install...
Wrong dimension. 4W is a measure of power. Per step it would be some number of Joules.
Re: Pavegen
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:36 am
by Joeboy
sharpener wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:27 am
This comes round and round every few years. Each time some new class of material e.g. triboelectrics is invented this is heralded as the possible miracle application.
Even supposing the conversion efficiency were useful the complications of maintaining it and repairs/re-instatement after trenching for other services etc would surely make it a non-starter.
And the energy has to come from somewhere - the leg muscles of the pedestrians. If generating a useful amount per step it would feel like walking through marshland.
Joeboy wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2024 9:22 am
Up to 4W per step. Not advocating it but if it's reliable and a one time install...
Wrong dimension. 4W is a measure of power. Per step it would be some number of Joules.
Quoting from the manufacturer page... No matter, Joules would be fine.
Anyone near Telford?
https://www.pavegen.com/en/case-studies/telford
