Netherlands Train Station Features World’s First Energy-Generating Revolving Door

I’ve noticed an increasing trend recently of people trying to squeeze out energy from every possible nook and cranny. The latest example of this is the world’s first energy-generating revolving door located at Natuurcafe La Port in the Netherlands.

• » See also: Asia Light Years Ahead of the US in Clean Tech Investment — Financial and Economic Consequences
• » Get CleanTechnica by RSS or sign up by email.

The door, which will provide energy savings of about 4600 kWh each year, is part of a larger sustainable refurbishment of the railway station.

Natuurcafe’s door uses a generator that is driven by the energy applied when people pass through. Supercapacitators store the generated energy and provide a power supply for the ceiling’s LED lights. If the LED lights use up all the stored energy, the control unit switches to the building’s main energy supply.

A large display inside the railway station shows how much energy is being generated by the revolving door as a service to curious patrons.

Personally, I’d like to see the Natuurcafe amp up its energy-generating capacity with a piezoelectric floor.

Photo Credit: Natuurcafe La Port

Tweet This Post