Distributed energy concentration

I like the idea of capturing energy from the “excess” efficiencies of social activities.

Soccer balls that absorb the kinetic energy of kicks and store some of it into internal batteries.  Kids play football on their way home from school, and their play powers the lights in their home when they stay up past dark to read.

People walking over a hill between two towns drop off a rock from the bottom in a basket at the top with each trip.  Periodically the basket slides down a ramp.  The kinetic energy of its descent, made possible from the biochemical energy of the people, turns a mechanical pump on top of a well.  The water drawn helps both towns.

The notion is essentially the collection of useful concentrated “high-grade” community resources, like electricity (or water, or what have you), from the distributed, “low-grade” energy resources of many people.

The key is cooperation and the identification of what areas people can contribute a little extra in.  Sturdy adults can handle carrying that extra rock up the hill, while the kids can kick balls around.