Walking On New Energy
These wood floors could generate energy from your steps
Dana Varinsky, December 7, 2016 (Business Insider)
“…Material science researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have figured out how to build wood flooring material that converts downward pressure into usable electricity…The flooring is made of pressed wood pulp, which is separated into a series of small layers that have different electrical charges…When people walk on them, the weight causes the layers get pushed together…[B]ecause the layers are chemically treated to have different charges, electrons from one [layer] naturally flow to the other once they come into contact, building up a charge. Then once the layers separate, the electrons seek to right that imbalance and flow back…The movement of electrons amongst different atoms is by definition an electrical current. To harness that electricity, the wood flooring forces the electrons to pass through an external circuit…This type of energy is called triboelectricity…It’s the same thing that happens when your clothing produces static electricity…[T]he material can currently produce just a few milliwatts of power per step, so would be most effective if used in highly trafficked areas, like malls, stadiums or subway stations…[I]f 80,000 people in a stadium each take just one step, that would generate enough energy for more than 100 super-bright stadium-sized light bulbs. Plus, future versions of the flooring could increase the number of layers to yield a higher energy output…” click here for more
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