Piezo electric generation?

[gotwind2]

Has anyone experimented or have any experience with this technology to generate an electric potential?

Is it just best suited to small scale applications or could it have a wider appeal maybe?

Just thinking out loud really..

Ben.

[DanG]

In a few Tokyo Subway stations they've put piezo mats for pedestrians to hammer on by walking - the example I saw pictured was at the base of a heavily used set of stairs. A Google search with those keywords might come up with more specifics, I think I saw the newsbyte on the BBC web news pages...

[stop4stuff]

here's an idea from a few years ago.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2005/2/11/201919/089

[dnix71]

It's called a "microphone"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone  scroll down to the piezo electric section.

All passive microphones can be used to make small amounts of power

[dnix71]

Also Google for "zerostat"

I still have one from college days (for cleaning vinyl records and getting free games on early video machines like Space Invaders- zap the coin slot).

[JimB]

Do a google search for "stirling piezo electric". It has been seen as a practical application of the stirling cycle engine.

[wooferhound]

A large Loudspeaker will give you usable power measured in amps. A 300 watt speaker is capable of making 300 watts. After all, it is a coil moving inside a magnet.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2003/10/11/204029/79

[joestue]

Certainly a project for the thousands of small speakers on the surplus market