Supplying Energy: One Step at a Time

"Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another." - Albert Einstein
Finding ways to store energy from everyday tasks to be usable in other parts of your life would be ideal.  No energy wasted.

To the marathon runners in Paris, France this could not be a more true statement. The Paris Marathon organizers laid tiles that harvest energy across the road.  These tiles were made from recycled tires. Recycled products producing clean energy - what could be more green?

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Created by Pavegen Systems Ltd has created this new type of energy technology to go off-grid and "make a low-carbon contribution wherever there is high footfall, regardless of weather." (source)

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Each footfall creates 8 watts of electricity.  How does that compare to the usage in your house?  Well an average household uses about 8,000 kilowatt hours each month.  It takes 1,000 watts to get a kilowatt. So 80,000 watts need to be generated to supply your house with electricity. That equates to 100,000 steps.

That may sound like a lot. But according to TheWalkingSite.com you should walk 10,000 steps in a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Wouldn't it be neat if they could harness the energy from everyday walking to power your house? It would take 10 days of walking the recommended amount. (Of course this will change depending on your household usage)

Can you imagine if we could put the foot traffic of NYC to work to generate power to light  up the night?

It looks like the US Army is already cultivating this type of technology with infantrymen.

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As technology develops and is used more in the field, soldiers must carry that battery power to operate the devices.  Carrying that much energy storage can become very cumbersome on an already heavy load.  This technology would allow a solider to charge two AA batteries after walking 85 minutes.  In an emergency situation more energy could be generated by doing knee bends.

Of course because walking is not always continuous, the power generated comes in burst   The team working on this have built a "capacitor circuit that filters these energy spikes into a usable form for recharging AA batteries.  The energy is then stored around the ankle.  (source)

In case you don't have the technology to supply your own energy buy walking - IDT Energy still has your back! Happy to be your energy nerds, buying green and conventional energy to supply your home with the power it needs to keep working!

Find more bright energy ideas on Facebook and Pinterest.

Vegetable Electricity: Potato Power

Can your everyday vegetable power a light?  How about a clock?  You betcha.  Looking for a fun weekend project with the kids that just might 'jolt' some excitement into learning?  We gotcha covered.

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Electricity generated at power plant is generally generated from burning fossil fuels.  The heat from the fuel heats up water and the water becomes steam.  This steam then spins turbines which turns a generator (or magnet) and unbalances the charges in atoms and supplies a current of electricity. That electricity then flows through the utilities lines and into our homes.

Batteries are able to generate electricity through a chemical reaction between two types of electrodes (like zinc and copper) and an electrolyte.  The connection of these substances creates a circuit that allows a flowing path of electricity.

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Here's how you do it:

Materials
2 Potatoes
2 Short pieces of copper wire
2 Galvanized nails
3 Alligator clips
1 Piece of sand paper
1 Low voltage clock

Directions

1. Remove the battery from the clock
2. Number the potatoes "1" and "2"
3. Insert one nail into each of the potatoes
4. Insert one piece of wire into each of the potatoes
5. Connect one alligator clip to the copper wire in potato #1 to the positive (+) terminal in the clocks battery compartment
6. Connect the other alligator clip to the nail in potato #2 and the negative (-) terminal in the clocks battery compartment
7. Connect the last alligator clip to connect the nail in potato #1 to the copper wire in potato #2

A pretty neat alternative energy supply right? Talk about going green!

Now, of course, this method of electricity is not that reliable. So we suggest keeping your utility and an energy supplier like IDT Energy for a more reliable source of electricity.

Check out more cool energy related projects on our Pinterest.

Sources: Education.com and teachengineering.org/ 

IDT Energy and Seasonal Utility Bills

It is important to consider the different options of paying one’s utility bills.

According to Geoffrey Rochwarger, CEO of IDT Energy, Inc.:

Geoffery Rochwarger - CEO of IDT Energy

“While consumers are often tempted by fixed rate, long term contracts, there are many sound reasons to avoid such offers. Looking at the past winter, for instance, offers a clear indication of why variable rate choices offer better opportunities. The winter of 2011 was dubbed “the winter that never happened.” The surprisingly mild weather offered consumers the potential to save on their winter energy bills. Additionally, prices for commodities have fallen, so the small amount of energy that consumers used was cheaper than it has been for many previous years.”

Check out IDT Energy's options with two free months of electric.