Move Over Solar: There’s New Energy Right At Our Feet

Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are turning wood pulp, a common waste material, into a flooring that generates electricity

The next time you’re running through an airport to catch your plane or busting a move on the dance floor, you could also be generating clean, green energy. At least, that’s the hope of Xudong Wang and his team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The engineers have invented a new type of flooring made out of sustainable materials that converts footsteps into usable energy. And the best part is that it’s made out of a common waste material: wood pulp.

With an anticipated uptick in oil prices just around the corner, finding new sources of energy—green energy—is essential. While solar seems to be sticking, with the U.S.’s solar capacity growing by 43 percent each year and other innovations like solar textiles months away from market, there’s still a need to think outside the sunny window box.

Enter Wang and his research team....

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Ken Notes: Wow will take a while but still cool...