A Bright Idea!

Street lights powered by footsteps installed at Las Vegas' Boulder Plaza.

17:30 15 November 2016

Las Vegas has unveiled street lights that harness energy from pedestrian’s footsteps. The lights were built by a New York-based start-up company called EngoPlanet while the special tiles on the sidewalk were from London company Pavegen. The tiles were designed to convert energy from people’s footsteps into electrical power, which is stored until nightfall when the street lamps automatically switch on. 

 

Aside from lighting the Las Vegas' Boulder Plaza, the lamps also boast Wi-Fi hotspots and charging stations for passers-by. According to the company, there are about 300 million streetlights around the world, which cost more than 40 billion dollars to run. 

 

EngoPlanet's CEO Petar Mirovic states: 'If you look at traditional street light poles, you will see that they are useless. They simply hold the lighting.' 

 

He added: 'With our solution, we've changed that by incorporating useful features into the pole and transforming it into a free service spot where people can rest, charge their portable devices, or connect to Wi-Fi.'

 

Los Angeles Mayor Carolyn G Goodman added: 'The city of Las Vegas is a leader in sustainability. We are always interested in exploring new technologies that can help us to preserve our city for future generations.'