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| Dingus |
 Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:39 am Post subject: Bike powered generator |
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Joined: 26 Jun 2006
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Location: Raglan Road
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Likely all of us have heard of the exercise-bike generator. A nifty idea to get a workout and save a bit of energy consumption at the same time.
I've found that the average output, depending on the contraption and the person, to be anywhere between 50 and 300 watts per hour.
But why not add multiple generators. Several flywheels turning shafts on separate generators could amplify the amount of current one is producing. I understand that a variant of the law of diminishing marginal productivity would apply: 1 + 1 = 1.9.....but could it be possible for a person to produce a Kilowatt hour with multiple generators?
If so, 25 hours per month of riding could produce enough power (assuming you could store it) to cover the power needs of the average home and then some.
(Note: I also understand that power will be lost merely by storing it--estimates range to about 15-20%)
Any thoughts?
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Let me warm up first....don't want to pull a hammy. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| that don't make a lot of sense, the average person can 'generate' about 60watts of instantaneous power, if you reckon you or anyone else can generate 300 watts then you are wrong. 1 horse power is rated at about 750 watts. I don't think you could keep up 60 watts even for a couple of minutes. 1 watt for one second is 1 joule, and there's just over 4 joules per calorie, do you believe you could use up calories at the rate of 70 per second? |
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| Dingus |
| Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 38
Location: Raglan Road
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Excuse me, that's just what I read.
Perhaps they meant 300 watts over the course of an hour, stored in a battery. The particular site I was looking at said that the achieved 465 watts in one burst (however, only for a couple of seconds). Average output was about 45 watts over 30 minutes.
Beside the point--even if it was 10 watt hours, the question is...with multiple generators, say 10, is it possible to produce 100(10 * 10) watt hours?
Am I missing something hypothetically?
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Let me warm up first....don't want to pull a hammy. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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Well it was not writen by anybody with even an elementary knowledge of physics. I think that grass strimmer produces about 40 watts of power as it hurtles around at 2000 RPM, how long do you thing you could keep one of those turning (at that rate) and cutting ?
Put another way, if you were to raise 1500 Kgs 3 metres over a period of one minute, you would have been working at the rate of one horsepower. ... (746 watts)
I reckon I could lift 40Kgs up a flight of stairs in about 12 seconds so in a minute that's 200Kgs or about 1/7th Horspower - 100 Watts - BUt I don't reckon I'd last the minute....
If you had a fitness Gym which was fully occupied it might just provide enough continuous energy to light one sodium street lamp. |
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| VideoKilledTheRadioStar |
| Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 5:46 pm Post subject: Cal cal J |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 17 Mar 2007
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There are 4.186 Joules in a work calorie, not a food Calorie. A food Calorie(capitol C) contains 1000 work calories
I was thinking about building a bike powered generator, are any online instructions available? |
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| leohopkins |
| Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:37 pm Post subject: Re: Cal cal J |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 1124
Location: Croydon, England
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| VideoKilledTheRadioStar wrote: |
There are 4.186 Joules in a work calorie, not a food Calorie. A food Calorie(capitol C) contains 1000 work calories
I was thinking about building a bike powered generator, are any online instructions available? |
AHAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!!!
Now it makes PERFECT sense !!!
Thats why on the back of food boxes they will advertise something as containing 116kCAL. because its 116,000 WORK calories.
that one did have me confused, (and depressed)
Anyway.......sod the bike generator thing. I want a bike thats powered on electric 
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www.leohopkins.com |
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| spirytus |
| Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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