Power FROM the People ?

If you are looking to save energy this new year then check this out. Have you ever shuffled your feet on carpet then zapped your friends with the  static shock? Scientists are now proving that kinetic energy can be captured and used to power your home. I’m not saying you should rely solely on that to power everything in your home but you can save money on the energy bill by installing devices to capture this energy.

“Anything that moves or produces heat has the potential to create energy that can be captured,” Big Blue’s scientists said in their sixth annual “IBM 5 in 5” look at what’s in store for mankind in the near term. Walking, jogging, bicycling. The heat from your computer or the water flowing through plumbing.

Scientists believe that advances in renewable energy technology will allow individuals to collect this kinetic energy, which now goes to waste, and use it to help power homes, offices and cities.

On a personal level, while you’re riding your bicycle to work, devices on the spokes of your wheels could be recharging batteries you could later use to power some of the lights in your home. On a larger scale, IBM researchersin Ireland are looking at ways to understand and minimize the environmental impact of converting ocean wave energy into electricity”

Maybe, in the next few years, it really will be possible to generate electicity and power from our own frenetic activities rather than passively consume from big power companies.