Use Pedal-A-Watt to burn off those holiday calories
Depending on where you live you have already entered or are entering the holiday season full of parties, family get togethers, huge meals and food galore. This is also when all of the gyms and weight loss systems start running ads. Lucky for all of us, Convergence Tech has created a solution that will help burn off those calories while generating electricity. The company has invented the Pedal-A-Watt Stationary Bike Power Generator.
The Pedal-A-Watt is really not a new concept. Do-it-yourselfers have been building bicycle powered generators for quite sometime. There are versions on the market that you can buy and assemble yourself. However this is one of the few already built, just add bike, models available. This power generating stand does not require you to remove any wheels or attach any belts. You just clip your bike into the stand and start pedaling. It takes just a moment to clip the bike into the stand and to remove the bike for outside riding.
Pedaling the bicycle in the stand, causes the rear wheel to spin the generator. The generator creates the electricity.
It is simply a spinning magnet within a coil of wire. As the magnet spins within this coil, electricity flows through the coil. This electricity can then be used immediately or stored in a battery.
Most adults are able to generate between 100 – 320 watts of power depending on the persons stamina and strength. For those of you in good shape and capable of pedaling for 2 hours creating 200 watts per hour, there a variety of appliances that you can power as you pedal.
200 Watts x 2 Hours = 400 Watt-Hours
Now, with 400 Watt-Hours stored in the battery, I can power:
A 400 watt TV for 1 hour (400 Watts x 1 hour = 400 Watt-Hours)
A 200 Watt TV for 2 hours (200 Watts x 2 hours = 400 Watt-Hours)
A 20 Watt laptop PC for 20 hours (20 Watt x 20 hours = 400 Watt-Hours)
A 15 Watt fluorescent bulb for almost 27 hours (15 Watts x 26 hours = 400 Watt-Hours).Power Consumption of Typical Appliances:
Small TV 100 watts
Large TV 200 watts
Laptop PC 10 watts
Desktop PC 75 watts
Stereo 20 watts
Charging a cellphone 5 watts
Hi Efficiency Desk lamp 15 watts
Refrigerator 700 watts
Dishwasher 350 watts
Dryer 400 watts
Of course you can’t power all of the appliances at the same time with just one bike and rider. You have plenty of choices to choose from so that your exercising can run the appliance of your choice to make the whole experience a more self righteous activity. (Look, I rode the bike for two hours and powered the dishwasher at the same time, cutting down on our electric bill!)
As with all bikes, there are accessories that you can buy. Pedal-A-Watt accessories are less about style than function. You can get a PowerPak that allows you to store any generated electricity that you aren’t immediately using. It also has a household outlet so that you can plug-in appliances and run them directly from the Pedal-A-Watt.
The DC Power Center will power CD players, video games, portable TVs, and other small items that require 3 amps or less. The Power Meter allows you to see how much power you have generated in volts, amps, watts (power), watt hours and amp hours. You can gauge your bike ride by the amount of energy you have produced rather than the number of miles or mile equivalents that you have pedaled.
There are a few more add-ons but you get the drift. Overall, this may be you best bet for a home exercise. Rather than spend a fortune on treadmills or stationary bikes that do nothing but taunt you with their presence, you can plug in any old bike into a Pedal-A-Watt and generate electricity, a much more satisfying exercise routine.
Eat hearty during the holidays. Maybe this Christmas you will receive a Pedal-A-Watt for exercise, power generation and saving money.
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December 31st, 2009
[...] to Times Square, you can still provide a little pedal power for powering your own home, using a Pedal-A-Watt. Although you won’t be lighting up Times Square, you can use it to light up a lamp or two [...]