In an urban world essentially turning into a concrete jungle, a Hungarian startup called Platio has come up with a colourful pavement system aimed to bring back the colours in people’s life. This modular paving system snaps “like LEGO bricks,” and has brightly coloured bricks made out of recycled plastic. Best of all, these bricks will be able to harvest clean energy from the sun, which can be used to power homes and other buildings.
For now, Platio is targeting only the sidewalks, and the entire project looks to make the cities more sustainable and green. According to an estimate by TechCrunch, the company has already sold bricks worth $70,000 and their product has covered 150 square meters ( over 1,600 square feet) of the paving system.
Platio paving system creates electricity from the sun using monocrystalline silicon cells held inside the tempered glass. The plastic brick enables the system to sustain any damage possible by people walking on the pavement.
According to Platio,
“The units are compact and modularly connect together making electronic contact without additional wiring by a powerline communication systems which connects automatically during the establishment.”
The pavement has been producing 160 watts per square meter, or per 10 square feet. The paving comes in three colors and is now working to incorporate energy harvesting from footsteps into their product.
Platio’s ultimate mission is to
“create a clean and energy-independent future, in which we create a new basis for urban life with taking into consideration the perspectives of information-based society.”
They are also working on other projects such as holographic info pavement, community energy storage, and solar building facades.
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