Free energy: myth or reality? Is it something that can be readily available in the near future? We all know we cannot get something for nothing. What if we (team: Infinity) tell you that we already produce excess energy every day without noticing or doing anything to reclaim energy. Every time we walk, talk, or think, energy is released. What if, instead of releasing energy into nothingness, we could release it into confined media, were it could then be used as a free, clean, and renewable energy source? Imagine- every motion that we make could be recovered in terms of electrical, thermal, or other useful energy. Well, this idea is not new; in fact, the same principle is being applied to the braking system of hybrid cars. When the driver pushes the brakes or decelerates, the energy used to stop the vehicle recharges the generator (with the generator shaft acting as a braking system by using its resistance to rotation; the more resistance, the more energy it needs to torque the shaft). This is not the only feasible application; we can take it even further (playgrounds, gyms, schools, etc.) thinking of anything that has motion. On a global scale this could be part of the solution for the ever-rising problems of finding clean, renewable, and affordable sources of energy.
Idea 1: Gym - the power of a work out
In England, a creative fitness club owner uses fitness machines as mini electro-stations. Members of the fitness club burn calories by converting them to kilowatts and the owner makes more money by saving electricity. This double benefit also produces additional motivation in the members. Now members can compare not only how far or how fast a workout they can also compete in who produced more electricity.
Within seconds of beginning a workout, the screen of the Technogym ARTIS treadmill is generating energy (Edmonds, 2013). The monitor displays how many watts a person produces during the workout. To give the user an idea of his or her energy production the monitor shows how many watts would fully charge a cell phone, or how many watts correspond to the energy from every-day household appliances. By comparing the energy produced to commonly used appliances it helps the members understand how much energy is being produced by the mini generators. The fitness machines are not powered by standard electrical outlets; approximately two hours of intensive workout and the battery of the treadmill is already charged for the whole day. Any excess energy produced goes back into the main power line.
So far Cadbury House in Congresbury, England is the only fitness club in the world where the owner has started to save money from the energy production of fitness club members. Engineers say that this is the future of gyms; producing enough energy to support themselves and maybe a little more to feed back into the larger electrical system.
Idea 2: Playgrounds - getting work out of play
It is a repeated guideline to people interested in harnessing human power that the most efficient way to do so is to transform one type of mechanical energy, in this case the motion of the human body, into another, such as a saw or blender (Dean, 2008). By transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy, much of the power is lost and far less work can be done. A good example of a group working within this restriction is Maya Pedal, an organization that manufactures an amazing array of tools for homes and businesses using bicycles as their starting point.
More than one person has watched the endless motion of children at play and thought about how to harness some of that energy to do work to benefit the community. On two different continents people have developed plans that use the motion of playground equipment to pump water from deeper sources than can be reached by static wells. The first was developed in the remote village of Las Gaviotas in Columbia and powered by a seesaw. The pump was novel in both its power source and its internal design, which enabled water to be drawn from deeper than a traditional pump. In the years since it was first developed the design has spread to more than 1000 villages in rural Columbia and beyond. Las Gaviotas provides manuals written at a basic level for free on their website.
A second design was developed in South Africa, powered by a merry-go-round. Unfortunately the first larger scale deployment of the model (referred to as the Play Pump) did not go well. It turned out that in more widespread distribution the pumps were not able to provide enough water for an entire community and were difficult to operate at optimal speed for any considerable length of time. In 2010 Play Pumps International closed their doors and Water for People took over the development and deployment of the merry-go-round pump design. They are currently focusing on improving the design as a potential option to provide a safe water source for schools to compliment nutrition and hand washing programs.
Conclusion
It appears that converting calories into productive energy ultimately benefits the livelihood and survival of these communities. The very need of these basic resources is an example itself of the value of saving human energy as well. Meaning that even though we do use energy all the time there is no doubt a difference between a see saw pump for water and a woman who needs to walk to a river miles away to get water for her family, or having to spend much time and energy on hand-grinding grain to make flour. The savings of human energy in these cases allows for an individual to have time and energy to do something else productive, which may reduce overall stress. Savings in time and energy, such as a bicimaquina that can de-grain a cob of corn instantly versus by hand, creates a space for the community to flourish. On a family, community, and regional level this could alter outcomes across generations.
Citations
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Edmonds,
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from your workout to keep the lights on (so don't take a break!) read
more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2430771/worlds-self-powering-gym-uses-energy-workout-lights-dont-break.html
Dean,
Tamara. The
Human-Powered Home: Choosing Muscles Over Motors.
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New Society Publishers.
Image Sources
Shahan , Cynthia. "Harnessing The
Energy Of Laughter, Curiosity, And Play, Empower Playgrounds
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Edmonds , Lizzie. "World's
first self-powering gym uses energy from your WORKOUT to keep the
lights on (so don't take a break!)." Mail Online , 24 Sept.
2013. Worlds-self-powering-gym-uses-energy-WORKOUT-lights-dont-break
http://www.deepfun.com/fun/2011/03/seesaw-and-educational-toys/
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