Piezoelectric Floor System PowerWalk Deployed at Beijing Subway: Every Passenger Step Powers the Station

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Peking University's School of Energy announced in November 2028 that its PowerWalk piezoelectric floor power generation system has officially commenced operations at Beijing's Xizhimen subway transfer station.

PowerWalk floors embed piezoelectric ceramic arrays that convert the mechanical pressure of footsteps into electrical energy. Each square meter of flooring generates 5 watts per hour during peak periods. The Xizhimen station has deployed 1,000 square meters of PowerWalk flooring. With daily passenger flow of approximately 100,000, the system generates about 50 kilowatt-hours daily — enough to power the station's LED lighting and information displays.

"One person's step produces very little electricity, but a million people's steps together become quite significant," said project lead Professor Liu Jianguo of Peking University. "PowerWalk's significance lies not just in power generation but in raising public energy awareness."

Each PowerWalk floor tile costs 200 yuan with a 10-year lifespan. Based on daily power output, the investment payback period is approximately 5 years. Shanghai and Guangzhou metro systems have signed cooperation agreements with Peking University, planning PowerWalk deployment in 2029.

Beyond subways, PowerWalk is expanding to shopping malls, stadiums, and airports — locations with high pedestrian traffic. Stadiums hold particular potential — a concert or sporting event with tens of thousands of attendees can generate hundreds of kilowatt-hours of electricity.