If cycling, rowing and running are done a lot anywhere, it is in a gym. So why not use energy-generating fitness equipment? Club Sportsart Fitness in Delft does it, although it is still only one of the few in the Netherlands.
The Delft gym uses energy-generating fitness equipment, in this case bicycles and cross-trainers. The energy generated during exercise is converted into usable energy for lights and televisions, among other things.
In the Netherlands, only a handful of gyms still use energy-generating fitness equipment, even though it seems quite obvious to do so.
Motivation
In a Brandpunt video, the owner of Club Sportsart Fitness says he sees the choice of these machines reflected in his costs. 'It saves us around 150 to 250 euros every month.' It has another plus: members are more encouraged to exercise. For instance, members of the Delft gym are rewarded with prizes. In the month of November, for example, the 'Green Challenge' is organised. 'We let members cycle or cross-train five kilometres. In doing so, they collect an amount of energy. Based on the scores achieved, we reward those people at the end of the month with a sports bag or free month of training. Everything we use every day should actually be converted into an energy source. What we contribute here may be a drop in the ocean. But it is SO important.
Knowing that you are generating energy to train can also motivate athletes to keep going longer. The devices show how many watts you have generated.
No batteries
The number of providers of energy-generating devices is also still quite limited. The system used in Delft is called Eco-Powr System: it does not use batteries as a storage system, but the energy generated is immediately fed back into the electricity grid. When the user uses the system, the kinetic energy produced is converted into usable energy by means of a built-in micro-inverter that feeds the energy directly back into the power grid, reducing energy consumption in the facility. The energy supplied depends on which piece of equipment is being used. For a Spinning bike, you can calculate that of 100% of the kinetic energy, 90% is converted into usable energy that is fed into the power grid. For an Elliptical and an Up-right /Recumbent bike this is 70-75% this is in relation to display and drive in which you get slightly more loss as these consume energy (resistance). During their workout, the user can immediately see what is being generated by a real-time display showing how many 'watts' are being sported by the drive system. This servo motor system consumes 32% less energy than standard treadmill motors. SportsArt Fitness has also developed special ECO-POWR software that allows an instant view on TV screens of real time energy generation and recent energy generation.
Human Power Plant
It remains to be seen to what extent the idea of energy-generating fitness equipment catches on. But that more and more research is being done on how we can generate energy through our daily activities is certain. In Utrecht, for example, a student community is being considered in a 22-storey empty building that will be powered entirely by the residents themselves. Human power as a source of energy: clean and always available. Both muscle power, body heat and waste products are utilised. The prototype of the building, presented in July this year, also features a lot of fitness equipment. Besides cardio machines, strength machines are also included in the calculation. Some machines turn out to be more efficient than others. For instance, among the strength machines, the so-called 'lat pulldown' provides the most energy: 7Wh of electricity in 1 minute (assuming a 30% conversion loss in the generator). This is enough to provide a computer tablet with a two-hour battery life. By comparison, if you want to achieve this with solar panels, you need about 420W of panels in the most optimal solar conditions.
By: Kelly Bakker
Source: Brandpunt
