Exercise with an Energy Purpose
One do-it-yourself benchmark for this era is the ongoing discovery of new methods for producing electricity.
One such invention is not only affordable it provides a great way to spend idle time while producing clean and portable electricity that can be used. Called the Pedal-a-Watt, this stationary bicycle stand that generates electricity while functioning as a sound fitness device.
The bicycle power-generation stand has been created by Convergence Technologies, based in Pleasantville, NY. The power the stand generates can be used for lights or other small appliances, such as laptops, cell phones, fluorescent or LED lights.
On its website, Convergence Technologies states that any bicycle in decent shape can be used with the Pedal-A-Watt Stand because the stand will adjust to fit any wheel size including children’s bikes.
The average rider can produce between 125 and 300 watts using the Pedal-A-Watt. While this amount of power isn’t huge, many pieces of equipment draw very little power and can be powered for long spans of time with small amounts of electricity. A laptop, for example, draws 70 watts, meaning one 20-minute workout could run the laptop for over an hour.
According to Convergence Technologies, the Pedal-A-Watt comes with the bicycle stand, generator, a 20-amp blocking diode, an adjustment knob and instructions for use. The company says its Pedal-A-Watt is built with off-the-shelf components to reduce waste and weighs 23 pounds.
The assembled Pedal-A-Watt sells for $399. The company also sells other products of interest, such as a bright LED light strip that is a great visual demonstration for the classroom or a corporate event.
This information from Convergence Technologies will help in understanding the device’s capacity:
First, the difference between watts and watt-hours: If a person is pedaling and creating 200 watts of power and he or she keeps pedaling for 2 hours, that person will create 400 Watt-Hours, or 200 watts x 2 hours = 400 watt-hours. This means a person can power:
- A 400-watt TV for 1 hour
- A 200-watt TV for 2 hours
- A 20-watt laptop PC for 20 hours
- A 15-watt fluorescent bulb for almost 27 hours
Here is the power consumption for typical appliances:
- Small TV 100 watts
- Large TV 200 watts
- Laptop PC 10 watts
- Desktop PC 75 watts
- Stereo 20 watts
- Charging a cell phone 5 watts
- High-efficiency desk lamp 15 watts
- Refrigerator 700 watts
- Dishwasher 350 watts
- Dryer 400 watts
This makes an appealing solution for those people who don’t want to be completely grid-dependent.
Source: Convergence Technologies
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