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<\/a>Photo:\u00a0pavegen.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nCities all over the world are taking strides towards improving walkability. From Los Angeles to Sydney, urban infrastructure is developing to fit the needs and concerns of pedestrians. Pavegen<\/a>, a London-based clean tech company, wants to harness this increase in foot traffic — and turn it into renewable, clean energy.<\/p>\n In 2009, a then 22-year-old industrial design engineering student named Laurence Kemball-Cook developed the idea behind Pavegen, using tiles to harvest kinetic energy from footsteps, and turning it into electricity to power low voltage products.<\/p>\n Fast forward five years later, Kemball-Cook is Pavegen\u2019s CEO, and his technology has been used on a soccer field in a Rio favela, a terminal at London\u2019s bustling Heathrow Airport and on a dancefloor at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. A single step can produce up to seven watts of energy, which can then be stored in batteries or used to power electronics.<\/p>\n The tiles work best in locations that routinely experience high foot traffic, like subway stations, schools and stadiums. The harvested electricity can be used in a variety of ways — a train station in Saint Omer, France uses them to power LED bench lights and two USB charging ports. Other applications include signage and advertising displays. The tiles transmit wireless data concerning footfall and energy production, which can be tracked by users using a customized app.<\/p>\n<\/a>Photo:\u00a0pavegen.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>Photo:\u00a0pavegen.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n