Biking for electric power, good idea?

[jasong]

I just received my October Discover magazine today, and it had a rather amazing statement in it:

Using a simple alternator, six hours of pedaling can create and store enough electrical energy in batteries to light about 6 homes for 30 days.
Well, I'm not sure precisely how much energy that is, but what I do know is that I am

(1) At least 30 pounds overweight, and
(2) I only make $7 an hour at my job, with between 9 and 10% going to taxes.

I realize that bike-riding as a full time job isn't the greatest of ideas, but I'd rather make money from bike riding than working at a fastfood restaurant.

Anyway, I was wondering if people think it would be worthwhile for me to look into

(1) Whether or not the local power company is even capable of accepting power fed back into the grid, and
(2) Whether or not it's possible to make at least $250 a month at this, assuming an interim month or two where I actually get fit enough to be a serious biker.

I'm not sure which of those last two problems I should look into first. I know $250 doesn't sound like a lot, but there are issues associated with my job and money situation that make it a lot more attractive to me than other people. I'd rather not go into it, but $250 to me would be a bit like $400 to other people.

[Bok]

The big problem scientists and engineers have always faced is how to store the energy on an interim basis. It's easy to generate electricity but storing it is immensely difficult.

I imagine so much energy is wasted right now when it is not in demand. It's one of the issues with Solar power. If you *ONLY* used solar power - how on a massive scale would you store enough power for use in the nighttime hours. Arrays of batteries are just not feasible.

One of the craziest things I read recently was how they used excess electricity from some alternate energy power plants to push water uphill, then generate more hydro-electricity from releasing it. But this only gave a 10% efficiency.

So, coming back to your theory.

1. How would you store the energy?
2. How would you then give the energy to the grid?

Afraid it's just not feasible. Unless they find a way to wirelessly transmit the energy over large distances.. which intel did this year at 75% efficiency over a small scale - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer

Bok

[Paratima]

I don't think Jason's talking about "storing" the energy. The question was more about selling the generated juice back to the power company, where, rather than being stored, it would be used by other consumers. This is done by folks with solar-electric panels. The volts go first to power your own needs and the excess goes onto the grid. Somehow. I've designed digital circuits, but power is another world.

Sounds like a workable thing, but I have no idea how to go about it. Nor do I know things like generation efficiencies. Discover Magazine articles usually sound a lot neater than they work out to in real life. Excess enthusiasm about excess energy. YMMV

[Bok]

But you need to store the energy first before giving it to the grid... that's why I brought it up. So unless you are permanently connected to the grid whilst biking (which doesn't seem a good idea!! even if it was feasible) I can't see how you could do it..

Interesting idea though of utilizing the energy we expend..been done before though in the Matrix :p

[em99010pepe]

The big problem scientists and engineers have always faced is how to store the energy on an interim basis. It's easy to generate electricity but storing it is immensely difficult.

There are new batteries of the marked and in developing stage that can reduce that problem. I can't find the papers to sustain my answer...Just try to search for chemical batteries, etc with different compounds.



I imagine so much energy is wasted right now when it is not in demand. It's one of the issues with Solar power. If you *ONLY* used solar power - how on a massive scale would you store enough power for use in the nighttime hours. Arrays of batteries are just not feasible.

Yes they are, look at the hybrid power solutions.



One of the craziest things I read recently was how they used excess electricity from some alternate energy power plants to push water uphill, then generate more hydro-electricity from releasing it. But this only gave a 10% efficiency.

Wind Power uses that kind of solution.

[Bok]

It may be that we will solve the problems in the future but right now, to me, it does not seem feasible economically..

Give us some hard data to back up your claims..

And yes it was windpower where I read about the excess stuff.

[Digital Parasite]

But you need to store the energy first before giving it to the grid... that's why I brought it up. So unless you are permanently connected to the grid whilst biking (which doesn't seem a good idea!! even if it was feasible) I can't see how you could do it..

But if you had an exercise bike inside your house, you could have it hooked up to an inverter which is connected to the grid. So you could watch TV all day, and "reduce" your electricity bill at the same time. :smoking:

[Paratima]

OK, I finally read the article. It is in interesting concept. It talks about providing "lighting" for some number of houses, in developing nations, for some number of days.

It DOESN'T mention water heaters, heat & A/C, electric ranges, TV's, PC and internet appliances, etc., etc. Just "lighting".

Me suspects the output is rather, pardon the expression, light. That's where the battery comes in, to store the meager wattage that you can actually generate with the thing. Lighting a hut, OK. Powering your modern Western home, erm, don't think so. :rotfl:

[jasong]

Lighting a hut, OK. Powering your modern Western home, erm, don't think so. :rotfl:
Ah, I didn't think of that. That makes sense. I've had similar problems reading theinquirer.net. I keep mentally thinking of "round here" as the United States, when in theinquirer.net it means the UK.

Thanks Paratima. You killed my idea, but you kept me from having to do unnecessary research.

Edit: I reread the short article, and I think it's the "San Francisco-based company" part that threw me. Now that I look more closely, the houses are in Haiti, not California.

[paleseptember]

Still, it's an interesting (and evenly moderately feasible) idea. Since I don't have the article, I have no idea about the figures involved, but a moment of FWSE (famous word search engine)-ing says an average person can generate between 150-200 watts. A few more moments FWSE-ing indicates this would probably be enough to power your tv (provided it's not a 140cm plasma, of course :lmao:)

Of course, anyone who has watched Red Dwarf would know that pedalling for power is not a new idea :)



In the foreground, we see LISTER on an exercise bicycle, pedalling. CAT
in the background holds a hairdryer.

CAT: Come on, come on! You're slowing down!
LISTER: I've been doing it for twenty minutes, of course I'm slowing
down!
CAT: Keep going, buddy, we're nearly there!
LISTER: Look, face it, man. It's just not possible to fry an egg using a
bicycle-powered hair dryer.
CAT: Sure it is! It's just YOU never pedal fast enough! Come on, keep
pumping! One last try!

LISTER starts pedalling furiously. The hairdryer starts up.

CAT: YEAH! We're cookin' now! How do you want yours? Permed or
blowdried?
LISTER: (Slowing) I can't go on, man. I'm finished. (He gets off the
bike and collapses in a chair.) Finished.
CAT: So what are you saying? We're back on the cold beans again?
LISTER: Oh, not more beans man. This place is beginning to smell like
the inside of a packet of dry roasted peanuts.
CAT: Plus, we're gonna have to spend another twenty minutes sawing the
lid off the can 'cause all the openers are electric.
LISTER: Everything on the smegging ship's electric, man. Heat, light,
doors. I never realised how dependent we were. I never realised how
little I know. I just plugged things in walls and pressed the "on"
button. I don't even know how to make oxygen. All I know is it's got
something to do with plants and ends in "osis." Or is it "esis?" I -- I
don't know! Why is it I never paid attention in Biology class? Why
did I always turn to page forty-seven and start drawing little beards
and moustaches on the sperms?
CAT: Look, just conserve your energy. Stan and Ollie will soon be back
with supplies. Meanwhile, let's just stay warm and get some sleep.
LISTER: Yeah, man, you're right. You're right.

He gets up and starts heading toward the bunks.

CAT: Hey, hey, where you going, bud?
LISTER: To get some sleep.
CAT: It's Tuesday, right?
LISTER: Yeah, so?
CAT: My turn on the electric blanket. (Pointing at the exercycle) PEDAL.
(Crawling into the bunk) Wake me in eight hours.

[Bok]

Ah, one of my favourite episodes :)

Pool with planets whilst 'nicely' drunk !

[paleseptember]

Define "nicely drunk". Is "nicely drunk" horizontal or perpendicular?


:clap:

The benefits of "nicely drunk" are looking "mightily attractive" as I'm off to face my students who have exam at the end of the week. I don't think I'm going to get out alive :bang:

[Paratima]

The problem was, it was not much of an article, more of a "blurb". As you say, Red Dwarf fans all want to know, how much good can you ACTUALLY do with one of those things. Well, unfortunately, this blurb offered no details. We'll just have to wait for it to come around again, after the chorus.

[paleseptember]

There's a bit of advertising bumpf, but...

http://www.windstreampower.com/Bike_Power_Generator.php

will happily sell you some gear,

and

http://www.scienceshareware.com/bicycle-generator-faq.htm

answers a few questions, but is it a little hazy on the details. Has linkys to 'build your own' plans :)