Action On the Field Powers Lights at Brazilian Football Pitch

Teams chasing each other on a soccer field produces a lot of energy — enough to power the flood lights illuminating the field.

Football legend Pele attended Wednesday’s inauguration of Brazil’s first player-powered football pitch, which harnesses the kinetic energy of players’ movements in a Rio de Janeiro slum.

London clean tech company Pavegen partnered with Shell to create their largest installation to date, using 200 tiles in the favela of Morro da Mineira.

The Pavegen tiles work day and night alongside solar panels to power the lights for up to 10 hours on a full battery. The slabs were also installed for the London 2012 Olympic Games at West Ham tube station.

“Following the unity and spirit of the World Cup, this project is an incentive to allow the community to hone their football skills and become part of the energy generating process,” according to a Pavegen case study.

(WATCH the video below and READ the AP story in The Daily Star)

Photos from Pavegen.com- Story tip from Mike McGinley