Future cities may harvest energy from human footsteps

• Pavegen, has developed power-generating systems for pavements, football fields and even school corridors.
• The company's footfall harvesting technology, a deflecting pad covered with the type of soft ground surface commonly found in playgrounds, can make up to 7 watts of energy with every step.
• Collecting this energy is enough to power lights and other small devices for minutes at a time from a mere one hundred or so foot steps.
• The company this year installed 36 tiles to create two people-powered dance floors at the 20th Essence Festival, placing digital screens in front of the dance floors to display the amount of energy produced during each dance off.
•  Analysts estimate the energy harvesting industry could be worth as much as $30 billion by 2018. Click here for link.