When it comes to inventions in human history, the generation of electricity has no match. In my opinion, it can be categorised among the most crucial inventions that have played a vital role in the past and are still playing a central role today. Be it commencing economic development or saving human lives in hospitals, we rely on electricity day in and day out. However, the sources we use to generate electricity matter a lot. If we rely on fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) to generate electricity, we will simultaneously emit greenhouse gases that would eventually accumulate in our atmosphere, act as a blanket to trap the sun’s heat and warm our planet. Consequently, our global average temperature would increase, which would then lead to a change in our previously stable climate. As per the United Nations, fossil fuels are the largest contributor to global climate change. Thus, there is a dire need for Pakistan to move its economy away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner sources of electricity generation.

Piezoelectric floor tiles can prove to be an excellent source of renewable energy production and help decarbonise our urban areas.

Piezoelectric floor tiles can prove to be an excellent source of renewable energy production and help decarbonise our urban areas.

Pakistan is not immune to the negative impacts of climate change. Asian Development Bank (ADB) points out that the annual mean temperature in Pakistan has increased by approximately 0.5°C over the last 50 years. The coast of Karachi has experienced a sea level rise of roughly 10 centimetres during the last 100 years. Annual mean temperature in Pakistan is expected to increase by another 3°C to 5°C by the end of this century due to climate change, and in a worst-case scenario, the country might experience a 4°C to 6°C increase in annual mean temperature by the end of the 21st century. All the already discussed facts highlight that Pakistan must rapidly decarbonise its economy. Thus, phasing out fossil fuels from the electricity generation sector in Pakistan would be a much-needed climate action in the right direction to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to fight climate change. As per a research paper published in Energy Journal Volume 328 (dated 1 August 2025), Pakistan produced 59% of its electricity from fossil fuels, followed by 25% from hydro, 7% from wind, solar and biomass and the remaining 9% from nuclear power in 2024. We must appreciate that Pakistan produced 32% of its total electricity from hydro and non-hydro renewable resources; however, Pakistan can do better and it must do better to increase its reliance on renewables and to phase out fossil fuels and nuclear power from the energy landscape. Our unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels is making our economic growth more vulnerable to international events, decreasing our social resilience, costing us billions in energy import bills, and damaging our environment.

Do you know that the Pakistan Business Council points out that the country imported fossil fuels worth over a staggering USD 17 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2023? Similarly, Pakistan spent USD 16.9 billion on the import of fossil fuels in FY 2024. If Pakistan maintains the business as usual (BAU) approach in importing fossil fuels, we would spend roughly USD 170 billion in a decade’s time. The cumulative fossil fuels import bill would exponentially increase to USD 340 billion in 20 years’ time, if we do not decarbonise our economy and move it away from fossil fuels. Can we afford this price? I doubt. Thus, we must make Pakistan more energy independent and socially resilient by utilising each available renewable electricity generation source. We have what it takes to make it happen. Here is an idea. How about if we generate renewable electricity from each step we take on our way to the office, back home from the workplace and while shopping. It’s not a naive idea, in fact, Japan is already using piezoelectric technology to harness the energy from footsteps and to convert it into electrical power. A question that one can ask is what is piezoelectricity? It is a form of electricity that is generated through mechanical stress. Imagine we have a surface with embedded piezoelectric sensors. Each time a person would walk on the surface with embedded piezoelectric sensors, the sensors would capture the pressure that the person would apply through walking. This applied pressure would generate mechanical stress that piezoelectric sensors would then convert into electrical energy. In simple language, pressure applied through walking creates mechanical stress that piezoelectric sensors then convert into electricity. We can either store clean electricity produced through footsteps or use it immediately.

As per The Japan Times, Tokyo Station and Shibuya Station installed piezoelectric floor tiles to harness the energy of footsteps to generate clean electricity in 2008. The piezoelectric floor tiles can produce 0.5 watts of renewable electricity when an average-sized person walks on these tiles twice. Now imagine if the Government of Punjab were to install piezoelectric floor tiles at all the ticket purchasing and punching stations across the Metro Bus and Train System in Lahore city. Assuming that 2 million people in Lahore city walk on the piezoelectric floor tiles per day and generate 0.5 watts each, Metro stations in Lahore city can produce 1 million watts (i.e. 1 MW) of renewable electricity each day through converting human steps into electrical energy. The Government of Punjab can use this renewable electricity to power streetlights in Lahore city. Similarly, if the Government of Punjab were to install piezoelectric floor tiles across all the busy streets in Lahore city, we might be able to harness another 1 MW of renewable electricity each day. Similarly, Pavegen is a British cleantech company that has developed a floor tile capable of harnessing the power of footsteps and has completed installations in 37 countries across the globe.

To conclude, if the concept to generate power from human footsteps can work in Japan and the UK, it can equally work in Pakistan too, provided we invest enough public policy attention and financial resources in this direction. Our ability to harness the energy of human footsteps and turn it into clean electricity would be a giant leap in transforming our cities into efficient and sustainable places for all to live in. Piezoelectric floor tiles have the potential to turn our urban streets into micro power plants to generate renewable electricity to power streetlights. It is both possible and realistic, and we can use Japan and the UK as case studies for us. When it comes to energy policy making, we must emphasise diversifying our clean sources of power production. We must work on exponentially increasing our installed capacities for wind, solar and biomass. Simultaneously, we must also work on exploring other sources of clean electricity generation. Piezoelectric floor tiles can prove to be an excellent source of renewable energy production and help decarbonise our urban areas. Do you know that the United Nations points out that cities cover less than 2 per cent of the Earth’s surface, however, consume 78 per cent of the world’s energy and emit over 60 per cent of greenhouse gases? Thus, we can easily say that cities act as battle grounds, and it is where we will fight our war against climate change. It is in cities where we will decide if we are going to win our fight against climate change or otherwise. Thus, we must do all it takes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our cities. We have what it takes to produce a dent in the emissions curve from our cities. Choice is ours and will always be.

The writer is a Stockholm-based policy analyst and the Founder / Operations Manager of Project Green Earth (www.projectge.org). He can be reached at aubhameedi@yahoo.com

© Daily Times