Kinetic energy is the propelling force behind the movement of any object or living thing. When you walk, kick a ball or knock something off a table, that\u2019s kinetic energy.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t talk about it much. Its lack of PR hides great potential to release us from our reliance on fossil fuels. If harnessed in the right way, kinetic energy can be a crucial source of clean energy and weapon in the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n
The 67 countries and eight US states working towards carbon net neutral targets<\/a><\/u> need to identify and implement cleaner energy solutions as soon as possible. As set out by the World Economic Forum in 2017, many countries are also working to reduce their numbers of petrol and diesel cars<\/a><\/u> by 2040. UK and Norway look likely to achieve their target years sooner. Can kinetic energy help? It already does.<\/p>\n As of 2020, every London Uber driver must use a fully electric or hybrid car<\/a><\/u>. Most hybrid cars are powered in part by kinetic energy<\/a><\/u>. When the driver uses the breaks, the car stores the kinetic energy produced in its battery, then reuses it to propel the car forward.<\/p>\n This technology doesn\u2019t come cheap. At home, you may not be able to afford a hybrid or electric car, but for business, cleaner vehicle options are fast gaining popularity<\/a><\/u>. It\u2019s not just reduced running costs \u2013 lower noise, vibration and exhaust mean better health and safety for employees.<\/p>\n There are many more ways to use kinetic energy in daily life. Take charging devices. There are already phone chargers that use a hand crank<\/a><\/u>, others by your running shoes\u2019 movement while you jog<\/a><\/u>. There are many more kinetic energy products now available, and a wider variety soon to hit the market.<\/p>\n Businesses wanting to be net carbon neutral need to make the right choice in when and where they use kinetic technology. The obvious place to start is switching to self-charging hybrids for fleet cars, but the options are getting more interesting by the day.<\/p>\n One of my favorites is the self-charging floor, powering street lighting<\/a><\/u> in part of Las Vegas\u2019s \u2018the strip.\u2019 One company, Energy Floors, is hoping to apply the kinetic energy floor in offices and other commercial premises<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n Storing renewable energy has always been a tough problem. Kinetic energy has a solution there too. Flywheel, or mechanical, batteries store energy by way of a constantly accelerating and decelerating rotor. They\u2019re made mostly from easily recycled steel, so don\u2019t use the environmentally damaging ingredients in lead or lithium-ion batteries, and are much more hard-wearing.<\/p>\n