Executive Summary: What is Pavegen piezoelectric technology and how does it generate energy? It consists of smart tiles that capture kinetic energy from pedestrian footsteps and convert it into DC electricity. It is ideal for high-traffic urban areas (transport stations, shopping malls) to power local LED lighting and interact with IoT devices.
The systems Ltda company started with a clear mission; to produce clean, off-grid electricity with the power of one simple step. Invented as an original and revolutionary technology, more than 750 prototypes were created and finally, in 2009, a kinetic tile that could generate clean electricity was born.
Inspired by a desire to help climate change, while still at Loughborough University, our founder, Laurence, gained a position with a major European energy company with the challenge of finding renewable energy solutions for street lighting.
Around this time, Laurence regularly used Victoria railway station, which has around 75 million visitors passing through it each year. He realized there might be potential to harness some of that human kinetic energy and convert it into off-grid electricity.
From there, he developed the first Pavegen prototype in his Brixton bedroom, a rectangular device containing a single generator. But as an unproven technology, he had nowhere to validate his invention. Laurence made the risky decision to install a Pavegen tile on a construction site, without permission. He took some photos, posted them online, and then used social media to push his revolutionary technology for investment. It worked.
Laurence's original dream was to create a tile that could feed the entire world. However, as time went on, he discovered a way to create a much bigger impact, with our revolutionary generators underfoot.
One component that is so crucial but missing from so many sustainable solutions is incentivizing real behavior change.