and the most popular game in the world the paradox is that more than a billion people lack access to basic necessities such as electricity . the good news is that there is something to be done by harnessing the power of daily routine even playing sports to generate electricity . if you are a soccer fan you can find soccer games played on canadian tv on this site . historythe technology dates back to research conducted by brothers jacques and pierre currie over 130 years ago . they discovered that pressure put on different crystals could generate electricity . such crystals and ceramics include titanium dioxide zinc oxide quartz and others . pressure works to redistribute the negative and positive charges of crystals . this is a form of renewable energy much like wind and solar power which can be used today as an alternative to nonrenewable sources such as coal and gas . innovative projectsthere are companies that produce the so called play products jump ropes and soccer balls and come complete with an outlet to be plugged . they generate kinetic energy that can be used to power household devices in remote and isolated areas . products that produce kinetic energy can power small devices as well for example your cell phone . the majority of products work by capturing our bodies kinetic energy in motion . there are other innovative projects developed at universities and by different high tech companies . researchers at the university of florida for example have created a backpack that is fitted with shoulder straps featuring piezoelectric materials . with the backpack moving up and down the pressure on the straps is turned into electricity . this innovative backpack can be used by hikers to generate electricity and power cell phones and other small devices . the military is also to benefit from innovative technologies like this . soldiers carry equipment that may require some 25 28 pounds of batteries . there are also generators that can be fitted on the back wheel of your bike . they come equipped with a lever which directs the generator off or on to decrease or increase the resistance . the generator can produce up to 30 watts of power and a half an hour ride is enough to charge 3 cell phones . other devices to generate free energythere are other products that can be used to harness kinetic energy one being a device that can be strapped on your knee to use the mass and movement of your body and convert it to energy . a 1 minute walk is enough to generate energy to charge your mobile for a 30 minute talk . in fact this device can be used when playing soccer to generate energy . use a soccer ball while walking jogging or running to generate energy . a charger which you can pack in your backpack is another product that converts movement into energy . you can throw the charger in your backpack bag or purse and use it to capture energy while walking . you can charge the device through an outlet . as you can see there are different ways to harness the power of daily routine and use movement to generate free energy . these devices can be used in the mountain in remote areas and in developing countries that lack electricity . investing in renewable energy in canada canada takes pride in having a strong and healthy renewable energy sector from innovative technologies and generation and supply to demand marketing distribution and storage . in fact renewable sources are used to produce some 65 percent of electricity in the country and mainly solar and wind power . canada is also a leader in research and development as well as one of the world s biggest energy consumers . obviously investing in renewable energy makes a lot of sense if this is what you have decided to do . challengessmall businesses in canada face a lot of competition given the fact that it is gas and oil giants that invest in green energy including solar hydro and wind power . the biggest projects in alberta for example are undertaken by coal gas and oil businesses . the goal is portfolio diversification and many large companies invest in both fossil fuels and renewable sources . the good news is that forecasts show that canada s solar capacity is going to increase three times during the next decade . optionsin view of the fact that there are big players dominating the sector one idea is to play with them . since it is more difficult to focus on solar and wind energy only it is more effective to invest in a large company that specializes in fossil fuels and also has solar and wind energy projects . you can invest in shares for example . there are other ways to invest in green sources one being to purchase renewable energy bonds which are offered by businesses investing in big projects such as large solar farms . they are usually offered to qualifying investors . riskier options are also available and the main benefit is the higher potential returns . one such option is to invest in related companies by purchasing stock . this option is relatively safe because of the emergency of etfs or exchange traded funds . they work like individual stocks one difference being that they are in the form of a collection of individual stocks . one option to diversify your portfolio is to invest in a lithium production and mining exchange traded fund which tracks some specialized index i.e. the solactive global lithium index . there are alternatives to etfs which are suitable for investors with a high risk profile . one such option is to buy shares in a business that has exposure to solar or wind power for example wind turbines . if you have a high risk appetite then there is a wide array of stocks to look into with stock prices fluctuating widely within a short span . one idea is to invest in businesses that focus on renewables and production technologies such as solar panels turbines and others . there are even riskier options than this including utility companies electric vehicle manufacturers energy efficient products solar services and many others . some companies for example focus on light emitting diodes light bulbs and other products that are more durable and energy efficient . other companies specialize in solar products and services such as pv technologies residential installations and others . they offer higher potential returns due to the fact that their products increasingly find new markets . if you are ready to take risk you may think of establishing a business and investing in your own solar services or renewable energy products . the initial investment can be as low as 50 000 for the power purchase agreement site control authorization etc. if money is in short supply there is an option to apply for a business loan and offer some asset as collateral to obtain a lower interest rate . renewal2.ca 2012 2016