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Energy-Generating Floors To Power Subway Displays In Tokyo

Posted by timothy on from the tap-your-foot-to-the-octopus-porn dept.

Jason Sahler writes "When the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) decided to invest in alternative energy sources, it only had to look to its users for the perfect source of energy. Recently the company decided to update their Tokyo Station with a revolutionary new piezoelectric energy generating floor. The system will harvest the kinetic energy generated by crowds to power ticket gates and display systems."

3 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. What a waste by snowraver1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have a hard time believing that installing thousands of tiny peizoelectric generators in the floor to be either a) better for the environment or b)profitable.

    I would bet that the cost to the environment in producing these special devices, would be greater than the coal that would have been fed into a coal power plant to produce the same amount of power.

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  2. Not Just Theft of Services, Theft of Calories by gblackwo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It may be a joke that they are stealing PE and KE, but they really are making it slightly harder to walk around. Thus the user will be doing more work- ie- burning more calories.

  3. Godzilla by OglinTatas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    just imagine how much energy can be harvested this way the next time Godzilla rampages! Energy independence, AND the project will pay for itself in about a 40 minute feature film. Of course, then you have to rebuild it and wait for the next rampage for the new project to pay off...

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