Green gyms shed pounds, create wattage

subscribe

The calories burned by exercisers are not going to waste at a new breed of "green gyms."

At the Green Microgym in Portland, Ore., the stationary bikes and elliptical machines recapture the energy patrons create while pedaling, convert it into electricity and channel it back into power outlets, Time magazine reports.

An average workout there generates 37.5 watt hours, which owner Adam Boesel says can power a phone for a week. The gym does not yet produce enough electricity to be carbon-neutral, but if all the equipment is being used at once, it can produce 10 times the amount needed to run the facility at any given moment.

A gym in Hong Kong has used such equipment since 2007, and there are now converters on exercise equipment in more than 80 locations in North America.

"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the past six months, which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to invest in green technologies," says Mike Curnyn, co-founder of the Green Revolution, a Connecticut company that wires bikes into a central battery to store energy.

Related News

power plant operations

IAEA - COVID-19 and Low Carbon Electricity Lessons for the Future

LONDON - The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the operation of power systems across the globe and offered a glimpse of a future electricity mix dominated by low carbon sources.

The performance of nuclear power, in particular, demonstrates how it can support the transition to a resilient, clean energy system well beyond the COVID-19 recovery phase.

Restrictions on economic and social activity during the COVID-19 outbreak have led to an unprecedented and sustained decline in demand for electricity in many countries, in the order of 10% or more relative to 2019 levels over a period of a few months, thereby creating challenging conditions…

READ MORE
electricity

Judge: Texas Power Plants Exempt from Providing Electricity in Emergencies

READ MORE

Shopping for electricity is getting cheaper in Texas

READ MORE

Philippines wants Canada help to avoid China, U.S

Philippines wants Canada's help to avoid China, U.S

READ MORE

ieso control room

Ontario's electricity operator kept quiet about phantom demand that cost customers millions

READ MORE