Carla Diana and Jeff Hoefs of Smart Design developed the “The Inlet-Outlet: Harnessing Energy from Everyday life” concept. And you can vote to support their project at Core77, as part of the Greener Gadgets design competition.

Description from Core77:
“Nearly every room in our homes and offices has at least one electrical outlet from which we draw power for our gadgets and appliances. What if each of those outlets had an accompanying electrical “inlet” so that we not only drew power from the grid, but could also give some back? We already have solar and wind systems for homes, so why not extend this concept to all our habitable spaces through a system of integrated, easy-to-use plugs and inlets?”

In addition to the inlet panels, adapter kits would be made available to easily convert common household products into energy-generating, inlet-ready devices. Applications include obvious kinetic sources such as exercise equipment, and emerging solutions such as cells that convert heat into energy. (Imagine a panel next to your oven or behind the refrigerator to capture the excess heat and convert it into electricity.) In more commercial settings, multiple inlets could be strategically placed. Your the local gym, for example, can become a mini-power plant by pairing each exercise bike to an electrical inlet.

Ultimately, the availability of an inlet panel/plug adapter kit system can encourage the development of new devices that harness energy to feed back into the grid.