A walkway that leads to the London 2012 Olympic park is to be lit, twenty-four hours a day, by a combination of spectator footfalls and state-of-the-art technology.
The walkway, a temporary bridge that leads from West Ham Station to the Olympic Park, is being lit by renewable technology that has been commissioned by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The footfalls of the thousands of spectators making their way across the bridge will activate twelve energy harvesting floor tiles that have been incorporated into the walkway floor, and which are expected to generate around 72 million joules of free energy, more than enough power to light the route.
ODA transport director, Hugh Sumner, said, ‘The widespread use of energy-efficient technology is one of the main features of London 2012. This foot-powered lighting system for one of the main walkways into the Olympic Park is just one of the many sustainable initiatives the ODA have deployed during the Games and will really get people thinking about how an individual can make a difference, while getting to and from their events.’
The power generated by the footfalls will be used to light up the walkway for eight hours throughout the night at full power, and 16 daylight hours at half power. The energy harvesting floor tiles are manufactured by UK-based renewable energy technology company, Pavegen Systems.
David Stubbs, the head of sustainability at the London Organising Committee (LOCOG), said, ‘We want people coming to the Games to be able to do their bit for the environment and this is a great example where, literally in a few steps, people can actively contribute towards making these truly sustainable Games.’
