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'Green' Stationary Bikes Generate Power as You Work Out

by Lee Bains on November 12, 2008 at 03:15 PM


A new design by The Green Revolution, Inc. is turning stationary bikes into mini-power plants, reports CNN.

Green Revolution founder and CEO Jay Whelan has designed -- in conjunction with an engineer -- a machine that converts energy expended on exercise equipment into electricity. At present, the company has outfitted only exercise bikes with the technology, although Whelan says that other workout machines are just as compatible.

While the energy produced from a single workout session is not great (about enough to light up a bulb for an hour), Whelan says if enough gyms implement the technology, then a significant dent could be made in wasteful energy production. According to the company, one year's worth of workouts on 20 bikes could produce enough energy to power the lights in 72 homes for one month.

While we are as jazzed about technology, and particularly green technology, as anybody, we can't help but foresee a certain irony unfolding here: We're envisioning thousands of people, driving their SUVs to the gym so that they can ride bikes to nowhere, generating less energy in their workout than they spent getting to their workout. Oh, well. Every little bit counts, we imagine. [From: CNN]

Tags: alternative energy, AlternativeEnergy, gyms, health, weightlifting, workout

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