There is more and more talk about climate change and global warming, and people everywhere are looking for ways to protect the planet as much as they can. This means turning to eco-friendly technology, such as solar panels, using wind power, and even bike-powered generators. These are especially great if you are looking to get in an hour of workout a day. A bike-powered generator indeed sounds amazing, but perhaps too good to be true? If it is true, this could be a solution to many problems in the world right now, including poverty.
What does this mean exactly?
Using a bike-powered generator, you are getting a good workout while powering your electronics such as the TV or lightbulbs. In theory, this would mean that you can watch your favorite TV show, or read a book while rotating the pedals and powering your house. Why would you pay a gym membership when you can do it at home and do something great for the environment at the same time. Just imagine if the thousands of people who do not have access or have very limited access to electricity were suddenly able to use this magical solution. This sounds pretty great, right? Let’s see how and whether it actually works.
How does a bike-powered generator work?
You rotate the pedals, which drives a flywheel and that turns a generator in order to charge a battery. With a one hour workout, you could probably power a high-efficiency house. However, for our regular houses, you are going to need something much stronger considering how much electricity we use up in just one day. This might not be the solution for us right now but think about all the people who don’t have access to electricity. Riding that bike for only one hour will provide their homes with enough power to finish the basic task they weren’t able to do before. This is one of the solutions to the world’s huge problem of poverty since many households cannot do anything about it without electricity.
So can you power your house with a bike-powered generator?
With our situation right now, unfortunately, the answer is no. We just need too much electricity for our everyday lives, and we doubt that anyone is going to spend all day riding a bike in order to turn on a stove or a heater. One hour of cycling a day will actually give you about five minutes of free electricity, which… just isn’t enough for literally anything. However, this still stands as one of the great ideas that just need to be worked on. There is no doubt that in a couple of years, technological advancements are going to allow us to completely switch to eco-friendly bike-powered generators without spending too much time on them.
What can we do now?
The only thing we can do now to support this amazing project is to build smaller and more efficient houses. These kinds of houses consume as much as $600 a year in total energy, which can include even charging an electric car. If we want a better future for ourselves and for our planet, we have to make some changes, starting from our own homes. These individual changes are absolutely crucial if we want to make any kind of positive impact and protect the only planet we have.