Retrofitting the RSF into a Human Powered Gym
Project Leads: Maha Haji, Kimberly Lau, Jodi Loo
Sponsor: Community Assessment of Renewable Energy and Sustainability (CARES)
TGIF Grant: $15,000
Project Theme: Energy Conservation & Efficiency
Project Description: The Human Power Generation in Fitness Facilities research project will create a human power generation center at the UC Berkeley Recreational Sports Facilities, which averages over 2,800 patrons per day, to develop new technologies and methods for energy conservation and power generation. This project is part of the Community Assessment of Renewable Energy (CARES) research being conducted in the Berkeley Energy and Sustainability Technologies (BEST) labratory in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of California, Berkeley.
Goals: Prototype a system for harnessing energy from an existing Precor elliptical machine. Create a human power generation center at RSF by retrofitting the 28 elliptical machines so they can generate an estimated 10,000 kwh annually of usable energy for the building. Create/install signage and posting for the energy usage statistics of various machines. Install an interactive display of the energy generation statistics at RSF. Retrofit a recumbent bicycle with a pedal-powered laptop station that educates users about alternative energy and sustainability as they exercise. Educate the campus community about how much energy each RSF machine is using when they are exercising. Assist the campus in reaching Cal-CAP goals.