--- description: A stadium in a Brazilian slum now has 'Pavegen' tiles that capture the kinetic energy of players as they run. title: Player-Powered Stadium Floodlights Launched image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt680de7cb440bd1dc/6986a2fcd0b6f23d173060c1/brazil_slum_floodlights.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Soccer](/tag/soccer/) ## Soccer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Player-Powered Stadium Floodlights Have Been Launched in Rio by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 12, 2014 6:45 AM CUT  A child plays with soccer ball at a refurbished soccer field at the Mineira slum in Rio de Janeiro September 10, 2014. A child plays with soccer ball at a refurbished soccer field at the Mineira slum in Rio de Janeiro September 10, 2014.Ricardo Moraes —Reuters by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 12, 2014 6:45 AM CUT The world’s first soccer field with floodlights powered by player movement was [unveiled](http://www.afp.com/en/node/2825406 "undefined") in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, but it’s not at the Maracanã. The never-before-seen technology was in fact launched at Mineira — one of the Brazilian city’s slums, _AFP_ reports. The technology is called Pavegen, and harvests energy from players’ footsteps using tiles made from 80% recycled material that capture kinetic energy, AFP says. Two hundred of the weatherproof tiles have been installed underneath the playing surface, and the energy from them will be supplemented by solar panels installed on the roof of a neighboring samba school. Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, who was present for the arena’s inauguration, said the innovation represented new frontiers for the country. “The whole world started looking at Brazil through football,” he said. “I hope that with projects such as this one, the world will start looking at Brazil through its participation in science.” Although residents approved the project in a public vote, the cost of playing there — $20 an hour — is too steep for most in the _favela_, as slums are locally known. “Today, we have to play outside our community as we can’t pay,” Bruno Olivera, a hospital worker, told AFP. Pavegen’s chairman said the company is trying to find ways to reduce the cost of the technology. \[[_AFP_](http://www.afp.com/en/node/2825406 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3332593/floodlights-soccer-football-pavegen-movement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3332593/floodlights-soccer-football-pavegen-movement/"},"headline":"Player-Powered Stadium Floodlights Have Been Launched in Rio","datePublished":"2014-09-12T06:45:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:03:09.715Z","description":"Tiles on the field capture the kinetic energy of athletes as they run","url":"https://time.com/3332593/floodlights-soccer-football-pavegen-movement/","keywords":["Soccer","Tech","Innovation","Technology","Football","Rio","pele"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt680de7cb440bd1dc/6986a2fcd0b6f23d173060c1/brazil_slum_floodlights.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt680de7cb440bd1dc/6986a2fcd0b6f23d173060c1/brazil_slum_floodlights.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kid plays with soccer ball at a refurbished soccer field at the Mineira slum in Rio de Janeiro","caption":"Kid plays with soccer ball at a refurbished soccer field at the Mineira slum in Rio de Janeiro","creditText":"Ricardo Moraes —Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/soccer/","name":"Soccer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3332593/floodlights-soccer-football-pavegen-movement/","name":"Player-Powered Stadium Floodlights Have Been Launched in Rio"}}]}] ```