Can someone help me on this theory if you take a regular exercise bike and convert it into a friction bike, how much electricity could this bike produce?

Now imagine you had 500,000 of these bikes, could the amount of electricity generated from these bikes power a state?

Also wouldn’t this probably solve unemployment?

I've done this maths before. You could do this, start with how much calories we know a good workout burns, which is apparently around the 600 mark for 45 minutes. Let's just say 900 per hour.

900 calories is 3750 joules, or approximately 1 watt-hour. And this is what you burn, not what makes it out of your legs (because the human body has extensive cooling requirements as well as a somewhat power hungry CPU). You can estimate efficiency at around 20%, so you have 0.2 watt per cycling human.

So half a million bikes will make about 100kw (minus conversion efficiencies again, it will be less), and you'd need about 12 million people pedaling in shifts for continuous output, not taking into account sick days or annual leave...

🙂

I think the logistics of such an endeavour will be the real issue.

Edited April 9, 20197 yr by plonkster

in cycling we use a term FTP, Functional Threshold Power... it's measure in maintaining a Watt number for a hour, your normal weekend warrior will do about 150watts, a guys doing power based training on a smart trainer will be in the 200-300watt range, your top tier pro anything from 250-350 and your local pro's in the 300-400 range.

 

G

There is an interesting video floating around on u-tube where they took a World-class cycling athlete on a stationary bicycle tasked to make toast. For this he needed to maintain 700W for a few minutes. He just made it (assuming you are OK with lightly toasted) - and pretty much collapsed in a heap afterwards.

It really shows just how much power "just" 700W is...

No, I suggest we use hamsters. Lots and lots of hamsters.

 

 

   

1 hour ago, georgelza said:

in cycling we use a term FTP, Functional Threshold Power... it's measure in maintaining a Watt number for a hour, your normal weekend warrior will do about 150watts, a guys doing power based training on a smart trainer will be in the 200-300watt range, your top tier pro anything from 250-350 and your local pro's in the 300-400 range.

Mmmh, that is way different to my number. I probably made a mistake by starting with calories. This seems way more accurate 🙂

It could solve unemployment, but will fuel the Load shedding scenario.

They will peddle for one week, then go on strike (and cause load shedding) for better wages, Free accommodation, Lunches etc.

1 minute ago, Riaanh said:

Lunches

You mean better quality fuel? 😛

 

And then with all the sweating and heaving, Gov will create some new "Carbon" Tax to add to our bills

 

PS: Wondering what their UNION will be called? 🙂

Edited April 9, 20197 yr by Riaanh

I'm thinking putting the prisons into service here. Contributing back to society

No I insist on using hamsters. It makes much more sense. Think about it: They complement PV power nicely as they are nocturnal. They also enjoy, in fact insist on spending as much time as possible running their pointless little hamster wheels. If you set enough of these up all you need to do is collect enough kitchen scraps to feed them. That solves another problem. They also reproduce themselves (and presumably enjoy that too). What's not to like ? It's just a matter of scale. I bet it would cost less than one Medupi and we would be sorted.

6 minutes ago, The Bulldog said:

No I insist on using hamsters. It makes much more sense. Think about it: They complement PV power nicely as they are nocturnal. They also enjoy, in fact insist on spending as much time as possible running their pointless little hamster wheels. If you set enough of these up all you need to do is collect enough kitchen scraps to feed them. That solves another problem. They also reproduce themselves (and presumably enjoy that too). What's not to like ? It's just a matter of scale. I bet it would cost less than one Medupi and we would be sorted.

some tree/bunny hugger is going to crispy your for animal abuse...

Eskom will not recognise you as a IPP.
G

4 hours ago, georgelza said:

IPP

Indefinite Power Producers them hamsters.

Hamsters it is then

8 hours ago, seant said:

Hamsters it is then

I sometimes feel like one on my indoor trainer...

19 hours ago, plonkster said:

approximately 1 watt-hour. ... You can estimate efficiency at around 20%, so you have 0.2 watt per cycling human.

Me thinks you are mixing energy and power 💀 That would be 0.2 Wh, over the time of the workout.

I believe that 200 W is achievable, but hardly sustainable, with higher peaks from elite athletes for a short time. 700 W for long enough to make toast... I'm in awe! 😳

1 hour ago, Coulomb said:

thinks you are mixing energy and power 💀 That would be 0.2 Wh, over the time of the workout.

I estimated the workout as lasting 1 hour, so the move from wh to w was intentional. I still made a mistake somewhere. 

700W is excellent, it means that guy was generating one horse power.

13 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

700W is excellent, it means that guy was generating one horse power.

Yes indeed. Here is the link to the video. Take note of those legs.