Simon Langton School, Kent
Back in 2013, Pavegen's first school installation project took place. Pavegen installed their kinetic tiles in a school in England. A total of twenty-four tiles were installed in the hallway of a one thousand student grammar school which is located in Kent, England. These students pass the hallway several times a day and the school has taken the initiative to encourage these students to even run and jump on these tiles in the hallways. The energy generated from the students’ footsteps is used to light up the hallway. The tiles also control the lighting in the corridor which means that the lights only turn on when they’re needed. In order to create awareness, the walls of the hallway have posters and diagrams explaining the process of kinetic energy. At peak times, the school can generate up to 100 W of power. 24 pavegen tiles were used to cover 12 meters of Simon Langton School corridor. The energy generated for over a year will be enough to [6]:
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Fully Charge 853 cellphones
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Drive an electric powered car for 7 miles.
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The Simon Langton installation layout and a video of Pavegen's first school install are below:
Brazil’s kinetically powered soccer pitch is located in Rio De Janeiro. Royal Dutch Shell sponsored a project that revolutionized the way typical soccer fields are powered today. Partnering with Pavegen, a British startup company that specializes in the production of kinetic tiles, the entire soccer field was designed with 200 Pavegen tiles along with solar panels that would power the entire soccer field at night. The field was covered with astroturf and the tiles were placed underneath this material in hopes of generating power as players ran across the field. It is Brazil’s first player powered soccer pitch.[7]
Riverdale School, New York
Pavegen has also installed their kinetic tiles in a high school that is located in Riverdale, New York. It is the first high school in the United States to have these tiles installed. These tiles were installed right outside of the school’s cafeteria where a majority of the students walk through daily. Riverdale is known to have the first permanent set-up of these kinetic tiles. Pavegen sparked their interest in this school at the request of a student and the school master. There are a total of 8 tiles installed in the cafeteria which power up two LED boards that explain the process of harnessing kinetic energy. When a student steps on the tile, the tile lights up and displays how much power was generated on a monitor screen nearby [6] [20].
These are just a few examples of how kinetic tiles have impacted local schools and communities. Other places where Pavegen has installed their kinetic tiles include Heathrow Airport, underground subway stations, shopping centers, and soccer fields in many parts of the world such as London, Nigeria, and the U.S.
Case Studies
{6} Kinetic tiles," [Online]. Available: https://kinetictiles.wordpress.com/.
Pavegen Powering Education. Pavegen. Pavegen, 13 Sept. 2013. Web. Fall 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Ii4CIFMCY>.
Soccer Pitch, Brazil
[20] Scarborough, Joey. "Bronx School First in US to Employ Innovative Energy Technology." NY Daily News. N.p., 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2016. <http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/bronx-school-employ-innovative-energy-technology-article-1.1595811>.
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[7]"Brazil soccer field first to use players' kinetic energy to turn on the lights," CBSNews, 2014.
Connecticut Avenue Overlook, Washington D.C.
In August 2016, officials in Washington, D.C., supported the construction on the Connecticut Avenue Overlook. This $200,000 project was funded to renovate the Dupont Circle sidewalk by adding over 100 Pavegen tiles to light the new 850 square ft part of the park. The 100 kinetic tiles will generate about 456 kilowatts of energy a year. The energy will be stored in batteries and used to power the Connecticut Avenue which connects Dupont Circle to K street.
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The project was funded by DC office of planning sustainable D.C Innovation Challenge grant. The District Department of Transportation teamed up with the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) to create the Connecticut Avenue Overlook [21].
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S[21]trupp in News on Nov 18, 2016 4:10 Pm, Julie. "Electricity-Generating Sidewalk Unveiled In Dupont." DCist. N.p., 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 08 Dec. 2016. <http://dcist.com/2016/11/new_electricity-generating_sidewalk.php>.
Although none the cases presented in the case studies above were about universities using the kinetic tiles to generate electricity on campus, some conclusions can still be drawn from the statistics and observations made.
For instance, in all the schools where the tiles have been placed, even though there are fewer students and hence less foot traffic, the kids are super excited in turn motivating them to keep on jumping on the tiles as they walk on them. Moreover, soccer is known to be the first hobby in Brazil which means the soccer field will be active for long hours with players running all over the tiles at different motions and speed. From these observations, the viability of the durability and performance of the tiles can be supported.
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Secondly, more observations could be deducted from Washington D.C. case study. Indeed, this project of implementation was funded by a $200,000 DC Office of Planning Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge grant. Hence, this could mean that sustainable government development programs can actually support a new project such as kinetic tiles at the university of Houston .
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Finally, the 100 tiles installed at the park in Washington will generate about 456 kW of energy daily with the expectation of 30000 people walking on the tiles. This information can be taken in account for the University of Houston who has up to 40000 students. In other words, a typical LED bulb requires 60 watts (0.06 kW) and if on all day will require1.44 kW per day. Therefore a 465 kWd can generate electricity for about 322 LEDs per day.
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