Harvesting Electricity using Piezoelectric Material in Malls

The continuous use of fossil fuels has caused a depletion in their level and also affect the environment adversely. These fuels will exhaust in a few decades if their consumption continues with the same trend. This situation has pushed governmental and non-governmental organizations to find other non-conventional forms of energy which are sustainable and environmentally friendly. In recent years, harvesting electricity from human surroundings is being considered as one way to substitute conventional fuels. The use of piezoelectric effect for electricity production is one of the methods among them. This paper discusses the application of piezoelectric materials for electricity production in malls. For the purpose of this study, Muscat City Centre Mall was selected and data, such as number of customers who visit the mall each day, size of the entrance, etc., were collected. Based on the collected data, a model of piezoelectric slab was designed and the amount of electricity that can be generated was determined. In addition, the total cost that incurs was calculated. Although the implementation of the model was not found feasible only at the gate area, it would be possible to make the application feasible by extending the piezoelectric slab to a wider area and searching more suppliers for it at a lower cost.