New Solar-Powered Pavements Harvest Energy From Your Feet, Instead Of The Sun
Image via Platio Solar
A Hungarian firm has come up with a new kind of solar panel. These tiles, made out of plastic waste, are being used as pavements instead of catching the sun’s rays on a roof.
While most of us know of solar panels as gadgets that harness green energy from the sun, the Platio team’s invention allows solar energy to be harvested in “places where it was not possible before.”
Image via Platio Solar
Miklós Illyés, along with two other friends, was the brainchild behind the idea way back in 2015.
“Our product is not made to replace the traditional solar panels on the roof, for example, but to be a complementary effort to use clean energy where other energy resources are not available,” he explained.
Image via Platio Solar
According to EuroNews, Platio’s plastic-coated solar panels work using a special pressuring method, harvesting clean energy as people walk across it. One solar panel can provide approximately 20 watts of energy.
Image via Platio Solar
In the spirit of sustainability, the company makes uses of recycled materials to make its panels. Approximately 400 plastic bottles are reused to make one-square-meter (10-square-feet) of pavement. Plus, it’s claimed that the resulting material is more durable than other materials used to pave roads.
Image via Platio Solar
The solar pavements have been rolled out to 36 countries, especially regions which are unable to install regular solar panels due to climate or natural disasters.
“It is very interesting that in the USA, for example, there are some places in the southern states where due to tornado threat it is difficult to install a solar panel. And if we can install solar panels in these places, we can also increase green energy production,” said Illyés.
Image via Platio Solar
Check out the video below to see how the solar pavement works.
[via EuroNews, images via Platio Solar]
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