In a world where electricity isn’t guaranteed, kinetic energy-powered devices make perfect sense. These inventions, which maximize the energy we create with our bodies to charge power or light sources, are often marketed for use in areas without reliable electricity access.
One example of harnessing this power is the Now Light, which turns human effort into electricity. According to Deciwatt, one minute of pulling on the cord generates 2 hours of light and enough power for a 15-minute phone call.
Factories are gaining momentum with other more powerful alternative power sources and lighting solutions to make warehouses and production centers more sustainable.
Maximizing Manpower
In the Human Power Plant, an ongoing research project in the Netherlands conducted by Utrecht University students, researchers aim to convert a building into a completely human-powered facility. Based on the kinetic energy conversion methods used in their human power sustainability test, researchers determined that humans create approximately 100Wh per hour of energy production.
"Arguably, human power is the most versatile and most sustainable power source on Earth,” said Kris De Decker, one of the students behind the experiment.
If we can maintain this level of productivity across the world’s population in conjunction with generative capture of energy from sources such as the Now Light, generative tiles, and other forms of bio-energy capture, human power could sustain energy-intensive facilities, such as smart factories, on mostly or exclusively renewable resources.
Can We Optimize Factories for Human Power?
Factories place a heavy strain on power grids — machinery in manufacturing plants quickly drains power in large quantities. But what if factories could utilize human power generation?
The question is not if but when, and whether these same technologies can be used to recapture lost energy within machine counterparts as the factory workforce partially transitions to automated, machine-based operation. By offsetting some of the peak power loads with consistent production from factory employees, businesses may be able to lower their energy expenses.
Smart factories already implement cost and equipment management systems; altering these systems to monitor and regulate power output could further help businesses to reduce operational costs.
Floor tiles are an excellent means of recapturing energy lost from moving objects and materials within the factory. Other means for including robotic workers in energy reductions include utilizing flywheels and other miniaturized dynamos within the robots’ working parts, such as drone propellers and wheels.
Is Manpower the Cure to Nonrenewable Energy?
Food production accounts for 17 billion metric tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to energy, 32% of U.S. CO2 emissions come from its production. Unfortunately, manpower isn’t the answer to reducing emissions. As the sole target for clean energy, human power is inefficient. A 2011 study from Standford found an average of 20-25% of efficiency in converting food to excess fuel.