Turn footsteps into clean electricity

Having known each other from a competition on clean energy and sustainable development, five students from different universities quickly caught the "frequency" and collaborated to research a special project to create a clean source of electricity.

One step lights up 30 seconds

In early October 2023, the team started researching the Stepnergy project. With the bold idea of ​​utilizing energy from people's movements in crowded cities, the team began to research many documents related to converting kinetic energy into electricity.

According to group leader Chu Ngoc Mai (currently studying a distance bachelor's degree program at Oregon State University), 90% of high-rise buildings in Vietnam use electricity from the national power grid. Meanwhile, there are currently very alarming figures such as: 73% of electricity production in Vietnam comes from coal and gas, 40% of CO2 emissions come from buildings that use a lot of energy...

Another member, Dao Thanh Tam, an architecture student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, said that the demand for energy consumption is increasing with the development of the economy and society. Therefore, the use of "energy carpets" will contribute to meeting the needs of electronic devices that consume low to medium energy.

A group of students collaborated on the Stepnergy project with the goal of creating clean electricity from human footsteps. Photo: PROVIDED BY CHARACTER

Explaining the operating principle, Ngoc Mai said that the Stepnergy device uses piezoelectric technology. Each device has three parts, including an electromechanical generator and electromagnetic bricks to collect energy from human footsteps. The electromagnetic bricks are connected together to form an energy carpet. When a person steps on them, the bricks will deform, causing the generator to create a rotating motion, thereby creating a clean energy source. The electricity generated can be used immediately or stored for use in low-energy devices such as street lights, indoor light bulbs, public phone charging stations, etc.

"According to published studies, each human step can produce enough energy to light an LED bulb for 30 seconds. This is considered a clean and unlimited source of energy," Ngoc Mai added.

At the beginning of the research, the group encountered many difficulties because none of the members majored in energy. However, with the goal of creating a clean source of electricity to contribute to promoting the energy transition and reducing carbon emissions, the members all made efforts to research and learn more to complete the project in the best way possible.

Applications in education

Surveying at Ho Tram Primary School (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province), the group recorded that with 3 m² of Stepnergy equipment installed, it can generate about 13,474 Wh of electricity/month (after deducting 20% ​​loss), equivalent to 2,694,800 mAh of clean electricity. This amount of electricity is enough to charge 598 smartphones or light 50 20 W LED bulbs for 13 hours; reducing emissions from 32 - 40 kg of CO2.

Piezoelectricity technology can be combined with other renewable resources such as solar and wind energy to make better use of energy. This technology has been applied in many large cities in Europe, but the cost of buying an "energy carpet" is quite expensive, averaging about 1,600 USD/m2. "Instead of transferring technology or buying whole energy panels from abroad, we hope to successfully research a device specifically for Vietnamese people with a reasonable price and convenient, easy to use everywhere" - Ngoc Mai hopes.

Mr. Phi Gia Khanh - Artelia Vietnam Company, an expert in energy efficiency and green buildings - said that in recent years, many households and businesses have begun to pay more attention to energy devices, mainly solar energy. In densely populated areas such as Ho Chi Minh City, up to now, the application of solar energy collection devices has mostly focused on rooftops and terraces of buildings. Therefore, placing Stepnergy devices in crowded places is a creative idea to take advantage of endless clean energy sources.

However, according to Mr. Khanh, to apply Stepnergy in practice is a very long journey, in which the most difficult problem is the financial issue. "Stepnergy is most feasible in STEM education (a form of combining subjects). Students can run and jump while learning about the process of creating clean electricity" - Mr. Khanh suggested.

Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Thi Hanh Thu, lecturer at the Faculty of Physics - Technical Physics, University of Science - VNU-HCM, assessed that the project has very good social significance. To apply it in practice, the group needs to prove the feasibility of the material, whether the investment level is commensurate with the conversion efficiency or not. "If the group discovers a new material that is both cheap and durable and has high conversion efficiency, this topic will easily receive investment capital or can transfer technology for further replication" - Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Thi Hanh Thu commented.

In February 2024, the Stepnergy project will travel to Prince Sultan University (Saudi Arabia) to participate in the final round of the Venture Z startup competition.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bien-buoc-chan-thanh-dien-sach-196240127205229095.htm