UK town installs pavement that turns footsteps into electricity

A pavement which turns footsteps into electricity has been installed in a Shropshire town.

The six-metre stretch of tiles is being used to power public phone chargers on benches around Telford town centre.

It works similarly to the kinetic dancefloor which pop group Coldplay is using for its world tour where dancing fans will generate electricity for concerts.

The installation by Pavegen consists of tiles, made from rubber and stainless steel and containing an electro-magnetic generator, which can each produce 2.1 watts of electricity per hour.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had bought the tiles as part of a £4m climate change project.

Many have welcomed the green-friendly initiative but others complained that it was an “expensive gimmick”.

After details of the scheme were shared by the authority on social media, one person commented: “Nice idea for a science museum to demonstrate a principle. Not how I want a council to waste money.”

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Another said: “Why are people’s phone batteries your problem? How much taxpayer’s money has this cost?”

A third said: “Bit of an expensive gimmick for me. Better things to be funding.”

Another commenter disagreed, saying that the idea had potential. “Just needs to be extended and implemented elsewhere now for it to have a real impact,” they wrote.

Councillor Carolyn Healy, council cabinet member for climate change, defended the move and said it was a “fun” way to show how clean electricity can be generated.

She said: “We’d like people to take away the idea: ‘If my footsteps can generate electricity, just think what else I can do.

“It’s also about letting people know what we’re doing as a council to fight climate change, which we hope will inspire them to make sustainable changes in their own lives.

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“Children are loving walking, running, and jumping on the new pavement and seeing how much energy they’ve generated.”

Similar projects have been launched by the tech company in various British cities and across the globe from Milan to Hong Kong and Dubai.

Other UK projects include an award winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, in which the pavement powered lighting and a fan, and at the Mercury Mall in Romford, where an app allows shoppers to berewarded with discounts corresponding to the energy they have created through steps.

Laurence Kemball-Cook, chief executive, and founder of Pavegen, said: “Pavegen is committed to creating smarter cities that focus on people, as well as technology.

“This installation with Telford is a great step towards making a key UK transport hub smarter and greener, whilst educating and engaging citizens with Telford’s commitment to building a better planet.”