Humans put out countless hours of energy everyday through activities like walking, running and cycling. What would happen if that energy was harnessed and used to power computers, light offices and heat buildings?
The University of Oregon will find out when 20 elliptical machines are retrofitted in the Student Recreation Center to capture kinetic energy and feed it to the university’s power grid. The project is a collaboration between the UO Office of Sustainability, the rec center and Eugene Water and Electric Board.
The machines will be outfitted with devices, called ReCardio, which will capture the kinetic energy created when used and convert it to electricity. Next it is fed to a central converter and transferred to the local power grid. Each machine will have a display to show the user how many watts-hours were generated during the workout and the types of things that electricity can power.
“The ReCardio project generates a small amount of clean, renewable power on-site, but its most lasting impact will be the educational opportunity it provides for the thousands of students who use the rec center daily,” said Steve Mital, director of the UO Office of Sustainability. “Students can interact with renewable power in a visceral way and develop a new understanding of the meaning and value of a kilowatt. The Office of Sustainability’s mission is to shrink our footprint and raise awareness so it’s great fit and I’m glad we could partner with the rec center on this project.”
It is estimated that the 20 machines will be used by students six to eight hours each day, generating approximately 6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This is nearly enough to supply a small energy efficient house in Eugene with 100 percent of its power needs for a full year.
The new machines will be unveiled at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 11, in the UO Student Recreation Center, 1320 E. 15th Ave. An elliptical will be hooked up to both an incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulb. Attendees will have the chance to hop on the machine to see how much work it takes to light each bulb.
“Being able to convert human power into electricity fits in with our mission to support a healthy campus community and demonstrate renewable energy technologies. We continue to look at ways of using sustainable energy,” said Bryan Haunert, associate director of facilities and operations for the Department of Physical Education and Recreation. “This is a good example of student groups coming up with an idea that makes a difference.”
The idea to purchase ReCardio was suggested independently by a group of students from the business school and a graduate student working in the Energy Management Office. The 20 devices are paid for by a $7,000 EWEB Partners in Education Grant, $12,000 from the UO Office of Sustainability and $2,880 from the UO Rec Center advisory board. The costs cover buying the devices and installation.
