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Power generating floor powers JR East |
Piezoelectric elements in the floors at ticket gates and other areas of Tokyo Station are testing a system that generates power using the energy created by passengers passing through the gates.
Since 2006, power generating floor experiments have been undergoing by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). JR East will install pizolectric elements in the floors at ticket gates and other areas of Tokyo Station. The system will harvest the kinetic energy generated by passengers passing through the gates. Pizoelectric flooring is a technology with a wide range of applications that is slowly being tested and studied with the view to alternative energy sources. Human Power is readily available in areas where there is a large amount of traffic - gyms, tourist attractions** and of course public spaces. JR have been trialing these systems for over the past year (2006, 2007). These studies have improved due to changing the floor coverings (rubber to tiles similar to what is already present at the station), layout of the mechanisms as well as the amount of floor space. Further studies are being undertaken during December 2008. **which is presently being looked at by a proposal for the stairs within the Spinnaker Tower viewing platform in Portsmouth, UK - heel-strike generators being placed under the stairs to capture the power generated by people walking down the stairs. This could also be used within Tube stations in London, where 34,000 moving around would be able to power around 6,500 lightbulbs. |
