Foot power to light up the Tube
A study conducted at Victoria Underground Station has shown that the energy generated by the footsteps of commuters could power 6,500 light bulbs for a day.. The novel energy reclamation scheme could see the station carpeted in a layer of pressure pads.
These would reclaim the energy from the footsteps and use it to power the station itself.
“When harvesting power from footsteps we use a flooring system that incorporates a matrix of hydraulic compression cushions,” said The Foundry, the company behind the technology.
“The energy harvested from every footstep pushes fluid through a micro-turbine, generating power that is stored in a super-capacitor. This electricity is then used locally.”
The technology has already been successfully piloted in the Midlands where it was used on a bridge to absorb energy from trains passing overhead to power flood warning devices.
The system was originally developed by the US military, which is trying to develop boots for soldiers that could be used to power electronic systems like head-up displays and battle computers.