Advice for net metering

[TransitJohn]

Is it possible to hook up exercise equipment to my (planned) home power system? Thinking exercise bike, maybe fixed weight machine.

[Kolesar]

1. I stumbled upon a web advertisement for a bicycle trainer that was a generator

I could see it being useful to charge cell phone batteries or other batteries. It would take a lot of pedaling to make enough charge to run a tv. I could see charging up enough to run lower powered devices like a radio. There are wind up radios that can run a decent period of time with only a minute or so of hand cranking www.ccrane.com .

"Electric" bicycles can be be operated to recharge the battery: www.bionx.ca Normally, the cyclist gets "regenerative braking" during the down hill segment. The makers of some electric bicycles advocate that you can set the bicycle on a trainer and spin away while charging the battery. Then you leave the house with a full charge.

I had imagined connecting a different battery to the electrified bicycle and using my pedaling to charge up an "extra" battery that I could then take to another room of the house for where my load was, like for an energy efficient PC or something.

As for pedaling a bicycle and using it to run the 120 volt, 60 Hertz, AC distribution system, I suppose it could be done. I don't know how to engineer it.

Happy pedaling, I think you are on to something!

[TransitJohn]

3. Thanks

I'm not thinking of powering the house entirely...I'm not superman. Just thinking that every little bit helps, you know? Anyway, thanks for the input.

[NMDemDist2]

2. You may want to ask over in Energy/Environment.

there's lots of 'green geeks' over there

:hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=115